


Hi, hello

by SovietBullet



Category: El Cor de la Ciutat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-12 02:04:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 56,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18001721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SovietBullet/pseuds/SovietBullet





	1. Chapter 1

Ten hums to himself as he listens to the familiar calling tone, a hand playing with the eraser on his desk. He isn't nervous, not really, but he’s only started this three days ago, so it’s all still kind of new to him.

“Hello, you have reached SM Adult Services, how may we help you?” Says the pleasant, disembodied voice.

“Hi, I'd like to talk to Jaehyun please.” Ten keeps his voice level, ignoring the slow climb of anticipation and nervousness curling at his stomach.

“Sure. Just a moment please.” The voice replied, upbeat and professional.

Ten massages the back of his neck as he awkwardly waits on the line, his hand abandons the stationery on his desk for the white earphone cord instead. He doesn't have to wait long.

“Hey, it's you again.” A warm, familiar voice greets him.

Despite himself, a small smile tugs at Ten’s lips. He sits a little straighter and curls his legs underneath. “Yeah, it's me.”

Soft chuckling could be heard from other side of the line. “On time, as always. So, how goes another day of scheming against the evil sister, Ten-ssi?” Comes the light-hearted tease.

“If you must know,  _Jaehyun-ssi_ , the plan is going splendidly.” He smiles, stretching his arms above his head and letting out a noise of satisfaction when he feels his neck pop. “I mentioned taking a Korean language course  _once_ and you start using formal language on me now? I thought people call to let loose.”

A snort comes from the other side of the line. “And people do let loose, as you so aptly put. Plus, I only know what you tell me, which isn’t much. All you’ve mentioned were adding -yo behind each sentence, and that grandmas will hit you if you speak to them informally.”

The small smile stretches a bit wider, and Ten slides lower on his chair to prop his feet up on the clean desk. “Touché.” He leans back, one hand still playing with the cord, the other drawing lazy shapes on his belly. “And how are you today,  _Jaehyun-ssi_?”

A short sigh comes from his earphones, quiet and intimate. Not for the first time, Ten finds he’s growing fond of the small noises Jaehyun makes. “It was alright. I'm a little worried about the writing assignment tomorrow. It’s for a literature course and… I want to do well.” The uncertainty resonating from his voice makes Ten frown.

“What’s the assignment about?”

“We have to write a report on two short stories, and what some scholars think of them. It sounds kind of boring, but I guess that’s Literature 101 for you.” Jaehyun sounds almost sheepish, and Ten wonders if the soft rustling sound is him scratching the back of his head.

He makes a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat, unsure of what he should say. Comfort isn’t his forté, but he feels compelled to brighten the mood. “What was the last book you read, for fun?”

“Hm? Like, not for school?” Jaehyun replies, voice curious.

“That’s usually what fun means.” He responds teasingly.

“With all due respect, between the two of us, I feel like I have a better idea of what  _fun_ is, thank you. I just wanted to clarify.” Jaehyun retorts. Ten hums in response, it’s probably true. His fingers pause on their aimless path on his tummy when Jaehyun clears his voice, “The last book I read was One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

That name sounded vaguely familiar, and Ten sits up straighter to pick up his phone and googles it. Ah. “A classic. Why did you choose the book?”

“It’s my roommate’s. Came with good recommendation, so I read it.”

Ten hums. “Did you like it?”

“It was… good. I’m starting to get into older American classics. The one I read before that was Atlas Shrugged. And before that, a couple Kurt Vonnegut. They’re all… very interesting.”

Ten lowers his feet to the floor and walks over to his bed. “Considering how those stories were written around the time of industrialization in America and the influences of the two World Wars,  _interesting_ is the least one could say about them.” He hums in quiet appreciation, settling on his bed and turning on the table lamp. “I didn’t know you liked that genre.”

“Just trying to read as much as I can.” Comes the response, genuine and passionate. There was a pause when Jaehyun doesn’t speak, but Ten hears shuffling in the background.

“What are you doing?”

“Um. I took my laptop out. To look over my assignment. I mean. Since we aren’t doing anything anyways. You don't mind, right?” Jaehyun asks nervously. The reasoning is sound, and in truth, Ten doesn’t really care. But it’s fun to tease the other man from time to time.

“Here I am paying you $3 a minute, and you’re doing your homework? I should request someone else next time.” He replies, feigning indignation. He can almost see the frown on Jaehyun’s face, nevermind the fact that he’s never even met the other man before.

“Well, you were the one who made it clear you weren’t expecting anything from the beginning.” Jaehyun shoots back huffily. Then a pause. “Oh, you were just teasing. Ha. Haha. That was lame.”

Ten bites back a smile, and taunts back. “I’m not the one doing their homework right now.”

He hears something hard hitting the desk, and a long groan follows. Finally, Jaehyun speaks, response muffled from the phone being squished between his cheek and the desk. “They don’t pay me enough to put up with you.”

At this, Ten finally lets out a snicker. “That’s not my problem. I’m a paying customer, you have to do as I say.”

There was another pause, and Ten could hear Jaehyun reading over his report very softly. Finally, he replies, “A paying customer… at your sister’s expense. What did she do to you again?”

Ten realizes he’s still standing in front of his bed, having forgotten what he originally wanted to do. “Hm, do you need time to read something over? I can shut up for a bit.”

Jaehyun laughs sheepishly, replying that he doesn’t mind, but Ten stops talking all the same. Finally remembering that he wanted to get ready for bed, he unplugs his earphones and puts his phone on speaker. He was done pulling off his t-shirt and onto his belt when Jaehyun speaks again.

“I hear something. What are you doing?”

“Undressing.” Ten pulls the rest of his pants off, leaving him in boxers. It’s getting late, and he doesn’t have the energy to take a shower anymore. It’ll have to wait till tomorrow morning. The evening air is not too cold, and Ten prefers to sleep with as little clothes on anyway, so he settles on his bed.

He doesn't expect Jaehyun to drop his voice a little lower, a little huskier. “Is that so? I thought you said you weren’t interested.”

Ten stills momentarily, before rolling his eyes and makes himself more comfortable. “You know very well the only reason why I do this is to see the shock on my sister’s face when she receives her phone bill.” Ten chides, no bite in his words. He reaches to the phone on his bedside table and turns the speaker off before holding it beside his ear as he snuggles more comfortably in bed. “I’m just getting ready for bed.”

Jaehyun chuckles. “Well aware. You still haven’t answered. What did your sister do that warrants such an expensive payback?”

Ten pauses, running his tongue on his teeth as he measures his words. “She put hair dye in my shampoo, so my hair was bleached with patches of strawberry pink. I had an interview the next morning. Thank god the interviewer had a sense of humour and I was still hired.”

Jaehyun laughs. And laughs. Ten turns a bit pink, and a bit annoyed, when someone’s joy is at the expense of his embarrassment, but he ignores it. He waits a few seconds, clears his throat and attempts to overcome his embarrassment as Jaehyun’s laughter dies down. “So yeah. Don’t ever cross me, or I’ll think of very creative ways to hit where it hurts, hard.”

Jaehyun’s voice is a little raspy when he speaks next, probably from laughing so loudly. Serves his right. “You should dye your whole head strawberry pink. That’s a trend these days, right?”

Ten scoffs. “Would you trust a strawberry pink haired guy to manage thousands of dollars? Looks matter in my industry. It’s a good thing I wasn’t hired for a client-facing position, and like I said, I got lucky to meet an interviewer with a sense of humour. Otherwise, I would’ve upped the punishment.”

Jaehyun snickers again. “May I never upset you in any way possible.”

Ten doesn’t immediately reply. Instead, he pulls his bangs to where he can see them, and frowns at the patchy dye job. Jaehyun speaks again. “Hey? Did the line drop?”

Sighing, resigned to his fate, Ten’s hand returns to tracing circles on his belly. “I’m still here. I was just thinking, I should probably pick up some black hair dye to fix this mess. My hair looks like shit.”

“Go with black-blue. It’s dark, but it’s fun. I think it’ll suit you.”

Ten raises an eyebrow, but when he realizes Jaehyun cannot see, he asks, “How would you know?”

There was another pause, and Ten hears Jaehyun read under his breath again, pulling a small smile to his lips. After a few more seconds, Jaehyun replies: “Uh. Just a feeling, I guess. I can hear from the way you speak and your personality, that the colour will probably fit you well. But don’t quote me on anything. It’s your hair, after all.”

Ten makes an indistinct thoughtful sound. “I guess I could take that into consideration.” Ten concludes. His right arm was getting tired from holding the phone against his ear, so he switches ear and squeezes the phone between his face and the pillow. “What about you?”

“Hm?”

“What do you look like?”

Jaehyun snickers. “Why are you trying to picture me?”

Ten frowns, not really liking what that tone implies. “Just curious. Humour me.” He persuades.

There was a pause, and Ten feels he should call this off if it’s making Jaehyun uncomfortable. But then Jaehyun replies, playful and light-hearted, before he has a chance to retract his words. “I guess I don't have a choice, right Mr. Client?”

Ten feels a rush of relief that Jaehyun doesn’t take things too seriously, and smirks into the pillow. “See? You can learn quickly too.”

“Don't patronize me.” Pause. “I am six feet or so, pale… not thin, but not chubby, I guess? I like food, but I play a lot of sports, too. Oh, and I recently dyed my hair, so it's a light brown now. Caramel? Honey? Or something like that.”

Ten snorts. “This is why I can't take you seriously. Shouldn't you know what you put in your hair?”

Jaehyun laughs, warm and hearty, and the sound makes Ten smile too. “I can't read the Japanese on the box, I spontaneously picked it up when I went shopping last week. It came with high recommendation, so…”

Ten chuckles, the tease comes out before he considers the words. “You're pretty easy, aren’t you?”

Jaehyun lets out a bark of laughter. “If you're trying to flirt with me, this is not the right way, Ten.”

Ten rolls his eyes. “What makes you think I’m gay?”

A beat. “Are you kidding me?”

Ten rolls his eyes and switches the phone from one side to the other. “No, why would I be joking?”

Ten hears Jaehyun snort and feels like he’s missing the bigger picture. “Um. I guess you haven’t noticed, but this is a gay phone sex line. Bold, capitalize, and a million underlines to the gay part-  _Are you serious_?”

A blush creeps up Ten’s neck. He didn't really check before dialing. He had gotten this number from Yuta after telling him what had happened with his hair and the interview… His eyes widen, and everything clicks. Yuta that little shit-

“...Believe it or not, that wasn’t intentional. A friend told me to call this number and I didn’t double check before I called.” He clears his throat nervously. “But it’s not like I’m homophobic or anything! I was just surprised. I promise.”

Jaehyun chuckles again, and Ten feels his face grow hotter with embarrassment. “I didn’t come to that conclusion, don’t worry. I’m more surprised at how it didn’t dawn on you when you heard a  _man_ pick up the phone. You can be pretty oblivious sometimes, huh?”

Ten doesn’t know how to respond, knowing that he’d trip over his tongue in part humiliation and part anger, so he huffs in quiet indignation.

Jaehyun laughs again, light and easy. “So I guess you’re not gay, either?”

Ten supposes it is easy for Jaehyun to talk about sex and sexuality by the nature of his job, but it’s not the same with himself. He folds his arm up against his chest, and mumbles into the phone. “And I guess you are?” At this rate, his face will be the reason his poor phone overheats.

“At least you’re not slow on the uptake the second time round.” More muffled laughter. “I am bi. I mean… I haven’t had too much experience with dating, but I have diverse tastes?”

Ten nods silently, not sure what to do with that information, and clears his throat. “I’m… I don’t have that much experience either, I guess. I’ve been on a couple dates with girls before, but those led nowhere. And I've never considered dating a guy before.” Ten wrinkles his nose and fleetingly wonders if he’s asexual.

“That sounds kinda asexual to me.” Jaehyun responds, strangely quiet and contemplative.

Ten stills. “Huh. I was just thinking that. You took the words right out of my mind.”

Jaehyun makes another thoughtful noise, and Ten wonders if he's smiling right now, or frowning. It's not easy to gauge the other's emotions without seeing their face. And this topic makes Ten ask questions about himself that he doesn't really have the time or care for.

“Well either way, I'm in no hurry to settle with someone. I'd rather spend more time on dance before I graduate.”

“You...dance? Really?”

“I've danced all my life. Why do you sound so surprised?”

“Because… it doesn't really fit with your… my first impression of you? I don't know. You call at the same time, every day, for the past three days. You study finance. You said so yourself, looks matter in your field. Do your friends even know about this?”

Ten frowns, not really knowing how to feel that he's already giving off a finance/professional vibe. He isn't that boring, that stuck up, is he? He shuffles uncomfortably between the sheets. “It's kind of hard to keep this a secret, I practice almost every day. It helps with stress.” He reasons, the same things he tells his mum when she complains that he spends too much time out. “My grades are better from it. I've even dragged a friend along.”

There was no hesitation, not even a pause, before Jaehyun replies. “Do you pay them too?”

Ten snorts and replies sarcastically, “I am a perfectly good friend. Supportive and approachable and all the friendly qualities. My friends  _love_ me. You’re a jerk.”

The laugh that follows is too loud annoying and frankly kind of insulting, and Jaehyun wheezes towards the end. “Jerk?” More wheezing laughter. “Sure, I guess I am. I guess we're also in grade school or something, and kissing gives you cooties?”

Ten scowls harder. “You're overcharging. I should contact front desk about your service. This is bullshit.”

Jaehyun snickers and volleys right back, “Please, we haven’t even started. Don't knock it ‘til you've tried it.”

“Insufferable.”

“Prude.”

Ten scoffs. “I said- I don't have time to think about it, doesn't mean that I'm against it-”

“So you'd consider it?”

The low, husky tone of Jaehyun voice vibrates through Ten’s body and brings him to a full halt, his brain draws a blank. At a loss of words, Ten growls and flips to his other side, glaring at the lamp on his night table like it had personally offended him for existing.

A minute passes in silence. Belatedly, Ten realizes Jaehyun had stopped typing somewhere in between.

“Are you done your homework?”

“It can wait. Are you mad at me?”

“No, but it doesn't make you any less of a prat.”

It can been Ten’s imagination, he doesn't even know how it sounds like, but he has a feeling Jaehyun is biting his lip before his next words come out. “I'm sorry.”

There is another pause, one where Ten realizes he's been holding his breath, and he slowly let's it out. To be very honest, he's not sure why Jaehyun is the one apologizing when he cannot take the joke. He’s the one who calls the sex phone line, for crying out loud. But Jaehyun was the first to apologize… and that made Ten feel bad.

“I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have taken it so personally.”

To that, Jaehyun says nothing. Ten frowns and checks the phone for the battery percentage, then realizes they've been talking for almost an hour. Almost an entire hour with a complete stranger, by any definition.

To be honest, Jaehyun was not far from the truth. Ten is intense, through and through. He works and lives and breathes in the blacks and whites of society, he deals with numbers and reactions of people during events. He understands human psychology on a higher level, but he's never had many friends, let alone close friends. Yet here he is, talking to a stranger, being open and sociable and normal in what would otherwise be a strange, uncommon circumstance.

And he knows this won't last. He's only meaning to do this until the end of the month, when the bills come in the mail. There is nothing permanent about this exchange.

He stifles a yawn and scratches his belly, and then playing with the drawstring he finds there. Numbers, he can deal with. Heck, give him numbers related to people, he'd still be a fish in water. Human interaction, on the other hand…

Jaehyun clears his throat, voice steady and uncertain. “So, what are you going to do tomorrow?”

Strange, indeed.

“The same thing I do everyday, Pinky. Try to take over the world.” He drawls out, voice deadpan, face expressionless.

Jaehyun guffaws into the mouthpiece and Ten winced when the decibels attack his eardrum. He turns down the call volume as soon as he can and almost misses what Jaehyun says.

“Wait, what? Ow. You almost made me deaf.  _Ow_. What did you say?”

Jaehyun chuckles, all easy and lighthearted again. “I said: You’re pretty interesting. Sometimes, I can't predict you, like, at all. And other times you're so textbook it's uncanny.”

“Uh. Thanks? I think?”

Jaehyun hums. There's some shuffling again.

“Putting away the laptop?”

“Yeah. And your hour is almost up.”

“....that predictable, huh?”

Jaehyun snickers. “This is one of those times, yeah.”

Ten snorts. “Fair.” He stifles another yawn.

“Tired? Did you just yawn?”

“Almost. Yeah, I'm pretty tired. It’s been a long day, I guess.”

“It  _is_ almost midnight.”

Ten checks his phone. “One minute.”

“I'm sorry?”

“One minute to midnight. I should go to sleep now.”

Jaehyun laughs into the phone. “Alright. Night night, Ten.”

Ten wrinkles his nose at Jaehyun’s attempt to be cute...or maybe that's just how he is? He shakes his head with a smile and replies, “Good night, Jaehyun.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

A string of curses spills out of Jaehyun’s mouth when he accidentally drops his coffee on the the pavement, which is then slowly diluted by the rain. His now free hand opens the door to his car, an old, silver Toyota Prius. Scowling at the weather, and more so at himself for forgetting to bring an umbrella, he starts his car.

He had one class in the morning and another late afternoon, so he went back to res to finish his homework, made and ate lunch, and took a nap. He doesn’t realize how tired he is, and almost misses his alarm. So he shows up to class disoriented and dishevelled, laptop hazardously peeking out from his backpack, and plops down at the nearest vacant seat, just as the professor starts class.

It’s not that he’s against skipping class, but he’s busting his ass to work to pay for his education, he should make the same effort for class.

It turns out to be an early dismissal. The professor wraps up early after her lecture and assigns some reading, so Jaehyun decides to head into work earlier and to get said reading done. It’s not like Sooyoung, the boss, really cares. She may be a bit of a spitfire, but she also practically makes herself out to be the nosy sister who loves and cares about him, and is in full support of his education. As an only child, Jaehyun finds that unfamiliar and endearing.

To be fair, it had only been a couple months, but everyone he’s met at SM has been supportive and easy going. They come from all walks of life and, because of the nature of the job, are very understanding and empathetic.

He pulls into an empty spot of a small strip mall and makes a beeline for the door. Once inside, a familiar voice greets him.

“JAEHYUN! You’re early today!”

More like yells.

Jaehyun winces slightly and waves at the blonde from behind the counter. Soonkyu, the receptionist, waves enthusiastically back, and gestures him to come closer.

“Looks like it’s coming down hard out there. Do you need a towel?” A level voice comes from the employee door behind the front desk, and Sooyoung emerges.

Jaehyun raises an eyebrow at her outfit. It’s not revealing, per se, she’s still wearing a black crop top and black faux-leather shorts, but… “Pink fishnet bodysuit? Where do you even find these things?”

Sooyoung clicks her tongue and grins wickedly. “You underestimate my resourcefulness, Jaehyun dear.”

Soonkyu directs her wide, intelligent eyes back at Jaehyun. “Did class end early? Have you eaten yet?”

Jaehyun shoots a quick smile back, and scratches the back of his neck. His sweater got a little damp from the rain, but it isn’t terribly uncomfortable. “Yes and no. Class ended early, and I spilled my coffee on my way over, so I’ll probably go out and pick another one up before I start work.”

Sooyoung hums, not really listening as something on her phone pings for her attention, and Soonkyu tuts from behind the monitor, grinning knowingly. “Don’t worry about it, then. I just made a new pot of your favourite Moonbean’s Dark Roast, and Sooyoung went on a Costco run earlier, so we have a full pantry again. Help yourself!”

He nods and waves at the two, who return back to work, and heads into the employee kitchen. He sees an open box of dark chocolate covered raspberries, and takes a handful of those, then makes his way to the small kitchen counter with his favourite black pantone mug and pours himself a tall helping of life’s greatest sustenance, coffee. The aroma alone brings a smile to his face. He quickly blows on it, takes a sip, then picks up the chocolates and his backpack, and goes to his room.

His mouth quirks as he looks around. It’s not a big room by any means, but it’s comfortable. There is an old couch against the wall, a coat hanger beside it, a desk and chair by the window on the opposite side, and a small coffee table in front of the couch. On the desk is an inconspicuous black desk phone where, later when it hits peak hours, will light up in bright red. Jaehyun shakes his head and settles his coffee on the desk, before shedding the sweater and leaving it on the arm of the couch.

He’s settling at his desk and taking out his laptop when he hears a knock from the door.

“Come in?”

Soonkyu’s small blonde head pops in for a moment and she eyes Jaehyun critically with squinty eyes. Finally, she nods. “Sooyoung is going for a quick pizza run. Do you want any?”

Huh, what’s that about. “Uh. Sure. I’m okay with any toppings. You guys can choose.”

Soonkyu folds her arms behind her head, grin fond and wide. Jaehyun notices something in her hand, it’s a towel. “Ah, I wish I was her favourite so she would spoil me too.” She teases lightheartedly. She bounces over and ruffles Jaehyun’s hair with the towel.

Jaehyun chuckles, cheeks dusting with light pink. “Aren’t I your favourite, too?”

Soonkyu giggles in response. “If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought you were flirting with me.” She rubs extra vigorously. “Don’t get sick, you.” Patting Jaehyun’s head once, Soonkyu nods at her handiwork (read: Jaehyun’s nest of messy locks) and skips out of the room.

Jaehyun swivels in his chair and smiles at nothing in particular while the warm feelings (and caffeine) seep into his veins. He definitely struck gold with this job. It’s not often to meet others who genuinely care about him. He shakes his hair out and pulls off the damp towel from his shoulders, sets it on the coat hanger, then goes to turn on his laptop. Time to get some reading done.

It isn’t until he sees the familiar red light blinking from the corner of his desk did he realize how much time has passed. He slides over to pick it up.

It’s Soonkyu. “The pizza’s in the employee room. You still have some time before work starts, but eat quickly!”

“Thanks!” he replies before hastily setting the phone back into the cradle and jogging to get the pizza and refill of the coffee. He comes out a moment later with a slice of Hawaiian on a slice of pepperoni on a mug of fresh coffee in one hand, opening the door with another.

When he gets to his desk, he checks the time on his phone. Ten minutes to 7pm. He quickly scarfs the pepperoni down, washes in with some coffee, before the red light on his phone blinks again.

And so it begins, his ‘night life’.

-

It’s a busy day. He’s done a fair bit of talking that past 10:30pm, his voice became a little raspy and throat a little dry. Once he finishes the last call, he takes a quick break to fill up his water bottle at the kitchen before heading back to his desk. Sometimes he wishes he had a headset so he can walk around in the room, but Sooyoung argues that it might make things too  _unsexy_ and  _unprofessional_ if the client finds out he’s just pacing while pretending to, and helping them, get off. Followed by her wicked laughter, it just sounds like a strange, weird fantasy of hers, so Jaehyun slowly backed out of the room and never mentioned it again.

He does a few quick stretches near the desk, keeping an eye on the phone on the desk. No red light. That’s… rare. Normally he’d have something in within ten to fifteen minutes after a call. It's not like he toots his own horn, but he’s been told, on many occasions by clients and coworkers alike, that he has talent, and one hell of a sexy voice.

He frowns, but doesn’t think too much of it as he continues stretching. Then, a red blink.

He strides over and picks up.

“It’s Sunny.” Chirps the bubbly voice. “Sunny” is what Soonkyu calls herself when on calls. And for some reason, she's using the tone where she knows something you don’t.

Jaehyun smiles nervously and responds, “What’s up?”

He can almost hear the wide grin stretching further across Soonkyu’s pretty face. “There’s a person asking for you, but it’s a quarter to 11, which means your  _regular_ will call soon. Do you want to take this?”

“Uhm.” Jaehyun stutters for a moment, cheeks growing pink and checks the time, then replies, “I think I’ll sit this out.”

“Alright~”  Soonkyu singsongs into the receiver, hinting at way too much. The line clicks.

Jaehyun stares at the phone briefly, before shaking his head. Soonkyu has always been sharp, but her instincts might be a little off this time. Then again, no one expects a straight guy to call the gay sex phone line. Jaehyun’s lips quirk slightly. Even he was surprised.

He checks his watch. Thirteen minutes. Knowing that he won't have another call, he freshens up in the bathroom, makes some green tea, then comes back.

He checks his watch again. Eight minutes.

Absentmindedly, he swirls the tea bag around, watching the colour of water slowly darken to a yellow-green colour and sighs. It's nice, he supposes, to have a bit of down time. The life of a student can be tough. To add work on top and finding a balance between the two is even more difficult, even if your job is to get other people off over the phone.

And, well, he hasn’t left early in a while, since his hours are from 7pm to after the last call before (or at, recently) 11pm. Some calls are short, and he leaves early. Rarer still are the calls that go on for hours, and he feels his spine ache from sitting so much.

But calls with Ten have been predictable. At least, the time he finishes work is. He leaves work a little after 12am every night, the drive is leisure and quiet since the call center isn't in a bustling nightlife part of the city.

His friends have complained how he never has time to hang out on the weekends, which he does feel guilty of, but the job pays well. And with coworkers like Soonkyu and a boss like Sooyoung, well, it's tough to make an argument against that.

He checks his watch again. Two. He sits straighter, hands fiddling with the doodles he drew during a particularly boring call. On the other side are notes he took from the reading earlier. He slips those quickly in his bag, then sits, poised, at his desk again.

If someone asked if he was nervous, he'd be quick to deny it. But the sweaty palms and butterflies in his stomach say otherwise.

Finally, like clockwork, the phone on his desk blinks red at 11pm in the dot, and he quickly picks it up.

“Hey.”

“Hey, Jaehyun.”

He receives a text on his personal phone. Soonkyu sent a wink. He rolls his eyes and ignores it, but his heart thumps a little harder.

“How are you today?”

“I'm okay.” A pause. “How was your day?”

“Um.” He pauses, trying to remember. “It was uneventful. I had two classes, and my afternoon class ended early so I came to work early.” Jaehyun elaborates, one hand playing with the pack of chocolate raspberries, the other holding the phone.

Ten hums quietly into the receiver, a sound of vague acknowledgment that Jaehyun is quickly growing fond of. He smiles a little as he wonders how Ten looks like when he makes that sound. “Did you start work early too?”

Jaehyun snorts and shakes his head. “Nah, I was doing some reading.”

He hears some shuffling on Ten’s side. “For school?”

“School.” He confirms. “What are you doing?”

“I'm looking over some notes.” Comes the distracted reply. “Planning to take the first level of CFA as soon as I graduate.”

“That's the one for finance, right? Sounds stressful.”

“Yeah, I guess I should be focusing on work, but the firm I’m working at told me they're planning to fund for my education today, and I want to get them over with, too.” Jaehyun hears papers ruffling, before what sounds like a pen scratching a few marks. “Stressful? I suppose. I've heard the questions can be unreasonable or unpredictable at times, so I have to make sure my bases are covered.”

Jaehyun exhales deeply and stretches his arms above his head, a small frown pulling at his brows. “You're such a hard worker.”

Ten snorts. “Runs in the family. I guess.”

“Oh? Is everyone in your family in finance?”

Ten makes a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat. “My father and sister are. My mom is a doctor. I've lived with high achievers my whole life.”

Jaehyun doesn't pretend he's misheard the self-deprecating chuckle at the end. It makes him wonder what it must be like to grow up in a family like that, and his frown deepens.

Ten shuffles about and asks, “What about you? Do you have any siblings? What is your family like?”

“Well, I don’t have any siblings.” There was a second of hesitance before Jaehyun responds, “And I don't really know my parents. They passed away when I was young. My uncle took care of me.”

The following silence is expected. Ten responds quietly, “I'm sorry to hear that.”

Jaehyun shrugs awkwardly and plays with a pack of dark chocolate raspberries. He’s talked about this before, many times before. “It’s okay, eventually. I mean, there are people who love and care for me like family now, and I discovered my talent for writing smut after accidentally stumbling upon and editing my uncle’s submissions to a local pornographic magazine. So, uh, it all worked out, and stuff.”

“...Come again?”

Jaehyun vaguely coughs to hide his laugh. “I’m not really in the mood right now, but I can try.”

It’s silent on the other side. Then: “I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.” And Jaehyun bursts into laughter.

Maybe it’s a combination of talking for so long, and laughing too hard, his throat closes from dryness and he ends up coughing.

“Are you getting sick?” Ten sounds worried. “Did you get caught in the rain earlier today? It was coming down pretty hard.”

Jaehyun takes a long sip of the tea through a straw, a trick Soonkyu taught to not make a noise when he drinks in between calls. He clears his throat and tries again. “I don’t think I’m getting sick. At least, I hope not. I did get a little wet though.”

“Oh? From the rain, or from a client?”

Jaehyun chuckles at the curious tilt in Ten’s question, leisurely playing with the straw between his fingertips. “Really? What if it was from a client?”

“Oh… seriously?” The voice sounded like a mixture of distaste and.. interest? Ten doesn’t say anything else, but Jaehyun can hear the note-taking stopped.

Jaehyun nods. It’s not like there’s a policy that goes against sharing his experiences, as long as no specific client name is mentioned. “Yeah. It doesn’t happen often, I’m usually helping others with whatever they want, but… it doesn’t hurt when I don’t have to fake as much. It’s not like my professionalism is questioned if I bring an extra pair of pants.” He smirks. “Why, are you curious?”

“Yeah, a bit.”

And if that isn't the most unexpected response ever. Jaehyun blinks. Twice. Then forces out an incredulous, “Excuse me?”

“Just. Curious. Like, objectively, learning about um. You know what I mean!” There was an uncomfortable shuffle from the other side, and Jaehyun snorts, suppressing the small pang of disappointment, and settles lower on his swivel chair.

Jaehyun was going to comment about how that made him sound like he's bi-curious, but remembers their last conversation and bites it back instead.

“...were you going to say something?” Comes the cautious reply.

He smiles. Ten can be pretty perceptive, but he's not here to pick a bone or make the other uncomfortable, so he shakes his head and cheerily replies, “Nope!”

Jaehyun hears indiscernible grumbling from the other side and grins again.

“Hey, Jaehyun. Can I ask another question? Like, a personal question.” The tone is cautious, and Jaehyun scratches the back of his head nervously.

Regardless he nods, and keeps his voice light and fun. “This isn't like prostitution, you know. And even if it is,  _times have changed_ and you can definitely talk about whatever you want, provided that it doesn't go against company policy. And that-” He presses, before Ten has a chance to open his mouth, “differs from company to company.”

“I wasn't even going to ask about that.” Ten comments dryly.

“Point is, we only have ourselves to talk about, Ten. If I wasn’t comfortable talking about myself, I wouldn’t take this job. So just ask.” Jaehyun reasons.

So he does: “Why this job?”

Jaehyun pauses. The tone makes him frown, but he ignores it. “It's good money, and with school being so expensive, I had to find something that makes more than flipping burgers. My coworkers and boss are very nice people, some of the most genuine and understanding people I've met, and... it adds character?”

Ten makes a thoughtful noise. “You're… I mean. Not like there's anything  _wrong_ with it, but are you going to do this forever? What about writing?”

Jaehyun chuckles. “I’ll get to that eventually. This situation isn’t permanent. Like I said, the money is good.”

There was a thoughtful pause, and Jaehyun knows Ten has more to say, so he waits, hand playing with the cord of the phone. "And… um… did you really write smut?”

Jaehyun suppresses a grin. "Yeah… I was young, maybe 12, and I watched my uncle write on his laptop all the time. Eventually curiosity got the better of me, and I went through them and corrected his grammar. Then he he found out, freaked, and proceeded to teach me about birds and bees. It wasn't long before I wrote and submitted stuff under his name.” Jaehyun’s face scrunches up into a fond grin. “It's not how I'd imagine life to unfold, but here we are.”

Ten quirks an eyebrow, unconvinced. “Your uncle must be so proud of your accomplishments.”

Ten’s deadpanned tone makes him chuckle as he replies, “Quite the opposite. He was surprised when I told him, since I got this job on my own. Figured if I could write smut, it's a matter of saying what I write, y’know?”

He hears Ten chewing at something- probably his lip. “I really don't, but okay.” Ten wrinkles his nose. “How many clients do you have usually?”

“Hmm. About 6 to 7 on average, I think.”

“Is that a lot? What are your hours like?”

“I think so? I’m good at what I do, and people come back for more. Case in point, you.” Jaehyun smirks, completely unabashed, and Ten makes a noise of exasperation and rolls his eyes. “I start from 7, and end after the last call past 11.”

“Five days a week?”

“You know, this line of questioning leads me to wonder if you’re going to stalk me, Ten. Do I have to call the cops? If I see a BMW in the parking lot I’m slapping a restraining order on your ass.”

Ten feigns a dramatic gasp. “Oh no. Not my BMW. Guess I’ll  _have_ to take out one of the ten Mercedes from the garage now.”

Jaehyun laughs and laughs, and Ten cracks a smile too. But he holds it back the last minute to deliver the punch: “And  _ass-slapping_? Is that what you’re into? Or something you want to be done to you?”

Jaehyun’s breath hitches. It’s unexpected that Ten would talk about his preferences. They’ve been skirting around this topic from the beginning that this feels too... direct. He takes longer than he’d like to admit to answer and by then, Ten’s already snickering.

Jaehyun wrinkles his nose. “Ah, figures you’d like to top.”

“I only top, Jaehyun.” Ten continues with the playful teasing. Jaehyun scowls and ignores the blush that is creeping down his neck.

He tries to sound unaffected. “I’d argue that you’re missing out, but I might be biased.”

There was a pause, almost dramatic, and then Jaehyun hears Ten say, “You mean, bi-as-fuck.”

Somewhere, a face meets a palm. Jaehyun tries to bite back a grin, but it grows despite the effort.

“I can’t believe you just made a pun. That’s. So. Wow.”

“It’s called words, Jaehyun. Use them.”

Jaehyun can practically hear the grin from Ten’s voice. He shakes his head. “Some situations don't need words, Ten. This is one of them.”

At this point, they both dissolve into chuckles, which tails off into a comfortable silence. Jaehyun listens to the writing sounds Ten’s pen makes as he plays with the beaten up pack of chocolate raspberries. He realizes belatedly that he hasn’t had any yet, so he breaks open the small package and pops one in his mouth.

“What are you eating?”

“Dark chocolate raspberries.” Jaehyun responds, swallowing the small snack.

“Ah.”

“How goes the studying?”

“Would be better if I didn’t have to hear chewing noises, but what can you do.”

Jaehyun grins, and pops a couple more into his mouth. “I know, I’m such great company.” He says with his mouth open, making loud nom-nom sounds after. The fake retching noises makes him chuckle again. They settle in another silence. Jaehyun finishes the rest of the raspberries, Ten makes more scratching noises with his pen, pausing to read something out, but too soft for Jaehyun to catch.

It’s getting too quiet, and Jaehyun fidgets with the phone cord again. There’s more rustling from the receiver, and Jaehyun thinks Ten might be squirming or something, which sounds kind of cute. Speaking of which… “Ten, what do you look like?”

There is a small pause. “Please tell me you’re not imagining me when you jerk off.” Comes the amused yet terse response.

“And what if I do?” He replies jokingly.

The sound of a scandalous gasp stretches a grin across Jaehyun’s face again. “Oh! My poor virtue.” Ten replies, voice devoid of intonation.

Jaehyun snickers. “Just. Um. Humour me?”

He hears a snort from the other side and smiles into the receiver. “Ah, I knew those words would come back to bite me. Well.” Ten drags the _well_ for a bit. “I’m 5’8, had black hair until about a week ago. Dark brown eyes, but I sometimes wear grey coloured lenses. I’m... thin. Um. I’ve been told I look like a Final Fantasy character.”

“Final Fantasy, huh? Which one?”

“Noctis.”

“You mean, the one who looks like Sasuke? From Naruto?”

“I… guess, yes? I've never played the game before, only heard it in passing.”

“Oh... He’s not that short.”

“Thanks, asshole.”

Jaehyun chuckles. “Ah, a proper insult! That’s better.”

Ten grumbles. “Has anyone told you how insufferable you are?”

“Has anyone told you how easy you make it?” Jaehyun shoots back. He hears some papers shuffling and a sigh of resignation. “You know, you should probably take a break from studying.”

Ten grunts and stretches his arms above his head. “I know, I'm just about to finish a part. I'll wrap up after this.”

“Okay.” Jaehyun thinks for a moment, then his eyes widen. “Oh, that’s right, I do have a question to ask you.”

“Then ask away.”

He can hear the smile in Ten’s voice and pushes on excitedly. “Tell me more about dance. When did you start? What type of dancing do you do?”

“Oh.” Ten pauses. “I started a while back. Like, when I was a kid. And I started with ballet, then went into jazz and contemporary, then recently, hip hop. I don't really learn the styles so much as I learn the moves and storytelling at this point, though.”

A fuzzy impression of a figure dancing springs from Jaehyun’s imagination. Pink haired, dark eyes, confident movements. A fond grin tugs at his lips unconsciously.

“You know.” Ten starts, voice quiet, thoughtful. “… if I wasn’t this hell bent into making it in the world of finance, I would’ve probably become a dancer.”

It's a surprising confession, and all Jaehyun can do is nod. “I think… I understand. I know there can be expectations your family holds you against, but have they ever explicitly mentioned that you’re not allowed to pursue a career in dancing?”

The corners of Ten’s mouth pulls lower, and he shakes his head. “No. Well. Mom I think will be bewildered, but supportive. My dad, on the other hand… probably less so.”

A single brow goes up. “But he won't do something as archaic as disown you, right?”

Ten wrinkles his nose. “This isn’t a Korean drama, he’s not going to get an aneurysm or disown me. Plus, I'm not. Um. It's not like I'm giving this a very serious thought. It was. Just.”

“Entertaining hypothetical thoughts and adopting different perspectives are not bad things, you know.” Jaehyun supplies easily.

At this, Ten smiles wryly. “I know. To some extent, it's all I ever do at work.”

Jaehyun hums in response. He's starting to feel the caffeine running low, and he stifles a yawn. Even then, his voice lowers marginally, soft and quiet. “So, what does your day look like tomorrow?”

Ten sighs, voice also worn and low. “Work and studying. It's going to be like this until the end of the term, and the semester had only just begun.” He sets his pen down and rubs his eyes. “Think I'm going to wrap it up now, though. I should probably visit a salon soon.”

“Or you can defy industry standards and rock the pink hair.”

“‘Cause I'm  _only_ getting looks from  _everyone_ at the firm. They won't take me seriously-”

Ten pauses, expecting Jaehyun to interject with another fuck-the-institution dialogue, but quickly realizes with a surprise that the thoughts are coming from  _him_.

The line stays silent save the quiet buzzing of the transmission in the backdrop. Ten shakes his head to clear his mind. “What about you? How does your day look like tomorrow?”

Jaehyun pauses and tries to remember. “It's … Wednesday, so school and work. I have Thursday off though, so I might go out with some friends. Actually, that reminds me.” He reaches for the phone and types a quick text to the group before setting it down.

“Hm? Reminds you of what?”

“Oh nothing, just texting my friends.”

“Oh. Club? Bar hopping?”

“Uh. We haven't decided yet. Maybe karaoke. But I think we’ll be pre-drinking at a friends, then decide where to go from there.”

“Sounds fun.” Ten comments dryly, ignoring the tugging feeling somewhere under his ribs.

“We have fun in different ways, Ten. So, many, different ways.” Jaehyun says, voice lowering to a warm rumble. Ten doesn’t respond instantly, so he pushes on. “What, cat caught your tongue?” He teases on, grinning slyly.

“No, but I’ll bet I can catch yours against mine if you keep this up.”

The seductive purr of Ten’s voice pulls his thoughts into a screeching stop. Jaehyun has never heard anything that makes his blood rush that quickly...up or down. He swallows thickly and tries to regain some footing.

“Only if it’s something you want.”

“Only if you can deliver.”

Then everything gets thrown the other way. No one talks demeans Jaehyun’s hard work and dedication like that. “Hey! I can totally deliver. You’ve just been too pusillanimous to commit!”

Ten snorts, breaking his character, but he continues all the same. “Aw yeah. You sound so sexy when you use those big words.”

Snort. “Okay, this is getting too much.”

Chuckle. “Is it? Is it really though?”

Then a lot of dumb laughing ensues.

“Alright.” Ten concedes, wiping tears from the corner of his eyes. “It’s past midnight, I should to go bed now.”

Jaehyun is still catching his breath, mirth still hanging in the crescents of his eyes. “Okay. Night night, Ten.”

“Good night, Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun places the black phone on the cradle, and stares at it for a long time. Finally, he shakes his head, packs his bag and goes home. Soon-kyu waves a quick goodbye with a knowing smile as he exits the building.

It’s really not what it is. Not how she thinks it is, anyway.

But, as Jaehyun pulls out of the parking lot and makes his way home, he can’t help but feel a kind of happiness warming him from the inside.

 


	3. Chapter 3

“Kingsmen 2?”

Yuta nods excitedly. “Remember the first one? With the crazy action scenes and heads exploding? A second one came out!”

Ten hums half-heartedly as he balances his phone on one hand and his untouched lunch on the other. He pushes through the doors to the shared lunchroom, finds a small corner, and eats quickly. It's been a busy day, there's a lot of rush work from the morning that by the time Ten’s met all the deadlines (with an extra half hour to check his work before handing it in) it's already 2 in the afternoon.

He takes a big bite from the cold chicken caesar wrap. “Maybe. When is it?”

“Gross. Don't talk with your mouth full. Just eat and listen to my beautiful voice, okay?”

Ten rolls his eyes but lets his friend continue. It's not like he has a choice, he has another ten minutes before this self-imposed lunch is up.

“I don't have any afternoon classes, but Hansol doesn't finish until 7 so we were thinking to grab a quick bite and the catch the 7:40 showing. Then if you're feeling up for it, we can go to the new arcade down at waterfront? I've been meaning to check that place out!”

Ten hums and checks the deadlines for work on his phone… it should work-… well.

“How long is the movie again? When does it end?”

“Hm? It's about two and a half hours, or thereabouts? How is this relevant? Do you have something to do?”

“Well… not really. Just wondering.”

“Okay. So you're coming?”

Ten chews his lip. If he guns it back home, he should be able to make it in time.

“Yeah. I'll see you guys there.”

He hangs up after Yuta’s signature singsong goodbye, then finishes the rest of his lunch in three giant bites, washes it down with cold bottled water, and returns to work.

The day passes quickly, as it often does when he's bogged down with work. He has to stay late, as he often does since he's the intern and, therefore, disposable in the company's hierarchy. Grind, eat shit for a couple years, raise in ranks. Grow rich and powerful, just like his father and sister.

Well, Ten lets out a soft sigh and looks at the Excel files on his desktop, he's eating shit alright. Pulling 10, 12 hour work days are almost expected from anyone starting off, he's no exception. Thankfully, he finishes earlier than expected today. He stifles a yawn while he packages up his work, sends an email off, and waves goodbye to the other workers at the front of the office, likely staying late judging by the cans of energy drinks on their desks.

He checks his watch. There's still about an hour before the movie starts, and he hasn't eaten since the small lunch. With his mind made up (mostly from his growling stomach), he heads down to the parking lot, starts his mother's old red BMW, and drives through the busy financial district of the city to the quieter university area.

Soon he pulls into a shabby strip mall, the sign at the front illuminating his car. The sky darkens earlier now, the soft rustles of red leaves brush him into a familiar Korean Chinese restaurant, and an equally familiar face greets him loudly.

“You're back!” The grandmother shouts, grin  warm, and he smiles back, wide and genuine.

“Hello.” He replies, in his broken, formal Korean.

The grandmother tuts as she waves him in. “That needs practice.” She teases, eyes twinkling. “Just one today?” She makes an exaggerated motion of looking behind and beside. He's normally here with Yuta and Hansol after dance practice. As Yuta claims, there's no better way to replenish energy after a long, difficult dance session than with a bowl of jjampong.

Ten smiles. “Yep. Just me today.”

She narrows her eyes and takes a critical look at Ten. “You look like you've lost weight. Have you been eating? Have you been sleeping?”

“It's been busy at work.” He says sheepishly, by way of explaining his appearance. Though, this might be the first time the shop owner sees him in a suit, and he was told he looks older and less fun . He fidgets under her calculative gaze.

“Work, huh?” She tuts again before pushing him none too gently into a booth and magically procures a cup of hot barley tea in front of him. He cradles the porcelain gingerly between his hands, the warmth spreading to his core. A word of thanks, his food order and a sheepish  _Quickly,please_ , are all at the tip of his tongue. But she shakes her head once, announces loudly, “One jjampong coming right up!” and hurries back into the kitchen.

Ten’s eyes widen in surprise, then his lips quirk into a small smile. “That predictable, huh?” He says softly to himself.

“Yeah, that predictable.”

Even without looking behind him, the annoyingly familiar voice and footfalls tell Ten all he needs to know. Two figures slide onto the bench in front of him, matching grins on their faces. Ten eyes the two suspiciously, wondering if his phone or car were tapped.

“Coming here without telling us. And I thought we were friends.” Yuta complains without heat, an easy smile pulling his pretty lips upwards. Hansol grins and nods in agreement. He’s never been very talkative, which is probably why Yuta likes him so much. With his arm raised, Yuta shouts, “Ajumma, two more jjampong please!”

An equally loud, enthusiastic sound of acknowledgment can be heard from behind the counter. Ten quirks an eyebrow. “Have you taken to stalking? I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.”

Hansol shakes his head before Yuta has a chance to speak. “My class finished earlier, so we decided to grab dinner in the area. Yuta noticed your car parked outside, and here we are.”

Ten rolls his eyes, but the small smile on his face betrays his act of annoyance. “Ah, and I thought I could put off seeing you guys for a bit longer at least.”

Yuta scoffs and crosses his arms. “Please. You looked downright miserable before we joined you.”

Ten shakes his head with a chuckle, knowing by now that it's useless to argue. They make small talk, and before long, a small dish of yellow pickled radish and raw onions is placed in front of them, along with three large bowls of jjampong. He meets the fond smile of the grandmother with one of his. She nods to the bowls of steamy noodles pointedly. “Enjoy the food!”

“Thank you!” “We will!” The three chirp in response, before scooping up the metal chopsticks and digging in.

There is a long moment of silence before Yuta speaks, having already inhaled half of the bowl and needing a break. He points his chopsticks at Ten, who wrinkles his nose at the soup splatters from the tip of the metal sticks. “Are you going to dance tomorrow?”

Ten rolls his eyes and swallows his mouthful of food before speaking. “If I don't have to work late, yeah.”

Yuta makes a face, clearly displeased. “You're missing too many classes. Our freestyle sessions aren’t the same without you, and there aren't enough advanced dancers to practice with us.”

“I know, I know.” Even as he says this, the corners of Ten’s lips pull a little lower. He ducks his head to avoid Yuta’s puppy eyes, and continues to slurp at the noodles.

Yuta seems unimpressed and looks to Hansol for support, who shakes his head. He turns back to Ten. “What about Showtime? Have you thought about that?”

Ten quickly ducks his head and eats his noodles, careful not to splatter on his clothes, in an effort to avoid the eyes of his two close friends. Of all the regional dance competitions, Showtime is the grandest and most prestigious. As its name suggests, it showcases the cream of the crop, in every genre, and known to be the largest industry event where dancers are immediately recruited.

Ever since Ten joined NCT Studio, they've been sweeping golds. Needless to say, he’s been poached by other studios from the very beginning. If it wasn’t for the close ties he’s made in NCT and being protected by the watchful guard of studio manager Hansol, he would’ve probably been whisked away into another dance group.

The training is gruelling, the practice long and stressful, and being a part of a team and achieving the highest recognition is the greatest, and unlike anything Ten’s ever experienced. But...

After a short moment, he makes a hesitant noise as he chews and swallows. “I haven't decided yet…”

Yuta huffs in exasperation and stabs at the yellow pickled radish aggressively. Hansol sighs at his friends antics, and reminds lightly, “There's still time to decide. We just need a confirmed number to start designing a choreo. You know how long it can take…”

Ten nods. “Everyone has input and ideas. Consolidating will take time... Yeah, well aware.”

“Make the effort, okay?” Yuta interjects impatiently.

Ten knows he can make up the handful of classes he's missed, but it's not often that Yuta chides him for his attendance, and he does feel bad for skipping the dance sessions in light of pursuing his career. They're both equally important to him.

“I'll figure it out.” He grumbles.

Hansol nods, eyes soft and empathetic. “I know it's tough, but even if you are an intern, you're allowed, and entitled, to have personal time off.”

Ten nods slowly, a lump forms in his throat.

Yuta wrinkles his nose, then checks his phone. “We should head out. Movie starts soon.”

They quickly finish up and pay for the meal before jogging to the theatres.

-

The movie, Ten decides, was alright. Not as good as the first. Less explosions, less over-the-top theatrics. Yuta complains loudly that offing Mark Strong is like losing a mom. Who is Colin Firth going to be paired with now, Elton John?

Ten rolls his eyes at the comment and checks his phone- 22:18pm. Hansol quirks an eyebrow. “Are you in a hurry? You've been checking your phone the whole night.”

Ten shuffles uncomfortably, not ready to talk about Jaehyun. “Not really.”

Yuta shoots a suspicious look at Ten’s phone. “It's not some work email, is it?”

Ten shakes his head slowly. “No. It’s not work.”

Yuta and Hansol share a look of surprise. Then a sort of understanding dawns on their faces and Yuta loops an arm around Ten’s shoulder, speaking excitedly, “Who’s the lucky girl?”

“Or guy?” Hansol’s tone raises at the end, partly in tease, partly questioning the question itself.

Ten shrugs his arm off with practiced ease and a growing scowl on his face. He can feel his cheeks heating up and is thankful the darkness hides the pink well. “Neither.” He replies stiffly, marching on ahead and ignoring the knowing looks between his two friends. “And I don't think I can join for the arcade, I'm feeling pretty tired.”

“Aw cmon, it's not even that late!” Yuta complains loudly, linking arms with Ten and tugs him backwards again, snug between himself and Hansol. “Where is your inner party animal?”

Ten snorts, fumbling to free his arm from Yuta’s vise-like grip. “What inner party animal?”

“Let him be.” Hansol chuckles and reaches behind to shove Yuta away, effectively breaking the hold. Ten shoots him a grateful look before he adds, “We can leverage this into our argument for the dance competition.”

Ten opens his mouth in protest but Yuta is already cackling loudly beside his ear. He briefly wonders why he's still friends with these two, but then he sees their hopefully eyes under the playful teasing, and holds his tongue. Yuta chatters excitedly about the music and clothes, and Hansol shoots him a concerned look, because really, fishnet hoodies? They continue nudging each other back and forth, bouncing ideas and thoughts off. It’s been a while since Ten’s been a part of this… with friends. Socializing. Goofing off. Having fun.

Quietly, calculated, Ten lets out a deep breath he didn’t realize he was holding and allows himself to be scooped up by Yuta’s grabby hands again.

_Defy industry standards. Just do it._

And so he says: “Fine. I'll join.”

The arms around him tighten to just shy of choking, and there’s a lot of loud whooping beside his ear. Ten immediately grapples for Hansol in a sad attempt to escape. Hansol laughs in response, eyes crinkling at the corners as he slowly breaks the two up, careful not to get kicked. It really could've been faster, and Ten would’ve questioned Hansol’s sadistic tendencies if he wasn’t fighting for his next breath.

Yuta swoops away from Hansol’s hands and pulls Ten close to kiss him on the cheek. “I'm holding you to this. You can't back out now!”

“Ew. I know, I know! Let go! I can't breathe!”

Finally, with Hansol’s help, Ten lands in a group hug of three, is quickly ejected from said group hug from a rough shove by Yuta (“Get outta here you lame grandpa!”) and finds himself ruffled up, but not dead, and steps away from his car.

The first thing he does is check the time (he’s definitely going to be late) before he switches on the ignition, and speeds back, happier than he’s been the whole week.

-

It's 11:08pm when he bursts into his apartment. His roommate, Johnny, shouts a vague greeting from his room and he returns a vague answer. He notices an unfamiliar pair of sneakers placed beside the door as he messily pulls off his own Oxfords and rushes into his room, the phone playing a familiar ring tone by his ear.

“Hello, this is SM Adult Services. How may we help you?”

“Hi, is Jaehyun available?” Ten asks, voice shaking from the rush.

“Please hold on.” There was a pause, before the voice replies, “He's busy at the moment. I could patch you to another agent if you'd like?”

Ten feels his throat closing, his heart stuttering under his ribs. “Oh. Um. That won't be necessary.”

“Alright.” There was another pause. This time longer, and Ten realizes he should probably say something, but his mind’s drawing a blank. Jaehyun has never… Then: “Is there anything else we can help you with?”

There’s a brief hesitation as Ten wonders if it’s appropriate to ask the next question, but he takes a deep breath and asks anyway. “Do you know when he'll be done?”

And he doesn’t know what gave him the impression- maybe because he’s heard the woman’s voice almost every day the past week, but he swears he hears a smirk as she chirps, “You can try calling back in 10 minutes. Or, I can let him know that you’ve called, if you’d like.”

“No. It's alright.” He replies quickly, almost afraid she'd do it anyway. “I'll call back later. Thank you.”

“No problem. Have a good evening, sir.” Yep. There’s definitely a smirk there.

“Thanks, you too.”

When he hangs up, Ten feels a little confused, at a loss. Adrenaline is still pumping through his veins, but around him echoes a stillness that makes him feel uneasy. He buries his thoughts and goes back to the doorway to put away his shoes properly.

Johnny’s head pops out from behind his door, one eyebrow arched in question. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. I was just- um. Was making a call.”

Johnny looks doubtful, but doesn't press on. “I have a friend over and we ordered pizza. There are a couple slices left over in the kitchen, if you want.”

“Thanks.” He replies.

When Johnny shoots him another look, a mix of confusion and surprise, he tries for a smile, which seems to work and the other goes back to his room. Ten lets out a quiet sigh, then puts his shoes away.

It's not that he means to come off as rude, he's just never really been close with Johnny. He found the apartment listing on Kijiji, and met Johnny when he moved in. They make small talk from time to time, but he gets the vague impression that they have very little in common. It doesn't help that they have different schedules. Especially now that Ten is working, he's out early and in bed before midnight. Johnny leaves for his part-time night shift at the local radio channel at 10, and doesn't come back until 2 or 3 most days.

That being said, living with Johnny isn’t bad. They don't fight for the bathroom, for one. When Johnny has guests over, they're usually quiet- even the one-night-stands that stay the night from time to time. Although, for some reason, they always eat his cereal before they leave, which is just annoying. But an added bonus is that Johnny studies media and dabbles in graphic design and photography, so their apartment looks really good. Like a model unit. Between the two of them, one takes care of the design while the other the cleanliness and upkeep.

Speaking of cleanliness, Ten can feel the dress shirt sticking to his back from all the rushing around. He sighs and shrugs out of his suit jacket, pulls off his shirt and throws it in the hamper, and folds his pants away. He sniffs, surveying his room and, seeing that nothing is amiss, pulls on his flannel pyjama bottoms that were folded at the corner of his bed. He forgoes the t-shirt entirely, the apartment heating is sufficiently warm and makes it nice and toasty under the bed covers every morning. Leaving his bedside table light on, he settles on the mattress, and stares at his phone. Waiting, thinking.

4 minutes.

The idea that Jaehyun might be busy talking to someone else when it's supposed to be  _his_   _time_ -

He frowns and bites his lip, flipping onto his stomach, face to pillow, and lets out and frustrated groan. It sounds possessive. Childish even. He knows this. He’s only met Jaehyun six days ago. Less than 144 hours. But he can’t help but feel that way.

He reaches blindly for his phone, and when his fingertips come in contact with the cold metal, draws it to his chest. Two and a half minutes now. It's a painful wait and he's not patient, not by any stretch of imagination. He's already got the number drawn up, the green call button almost mocking him.

1:57…

1:56…

1:55...

He sits up again, watching the time on his phone. His heart has mostly calmed, but he can still hear soft thrumming in his ears. Is Jaehyun talking to someone? Helping them get off? Will his voice be raspy again? Or is he on a bathroom break? Why… does it mean so much to him that he talks to Jaehyun tonight?

51...

Maybe...

26…

25…

24…

Maybe because he enjoys predictability and consistency. Maybe he’s a bit anxious and stressed from work. Maybe, in the short 144 hours, he finds he relates to Jaehyun much more than he does with people he's known his whole life. Jaehyun is ridiculously easy to talk to, and Ten finds his voice soothing, comforting, even if they squabble and banter most of the time.

But- well, for all he knows, Jaehyun might not have even noticed. Or he doesn’t care. The corners of his mouth dip slightly, and at ten minutes exactly after he hung up, he presses the call button.

The phone rings. Clicks. And rings again. Immediately, Jaehyun’s voice greets him.

“Hello?”

It's not what Ten expects, but if he’s to hazard a guess, the receptionist probably transferred his call when she recognized his number.

“Hey, it's me.” He responds.

“Oh, hey! You're late today.” Says Jaehyun’s warm, familiar voice.

And with that, the whirlwind of thoughts disappear. “Um, yeah, something came up.” He explains vaguely, dazed.

“Something, huh? Can you tell me more about this something, or is it some kind of top secret?” Jaehyun says, low and teasing.

Ten shakes his head to clear his thoughts, and quickly plays along. “That depends. How badly do you want to know?”

“Uh, not enough to die for it?”

Ten raises an eyebrow. “It wasn’t anything special. I just watched a movie with a couple friends after work. It dragged on for longer than expected. Sorry.” The apology is sincere, if a little unexpected, even to his own ears.

“Whoa. Don't be. I was just surprised that you're capable of being late, too. I mean, I kinda figured that was the case, so I took a quick bathroom break.” The chuckle that follows is sheepish, and Ten feels his cheeks grow warm. The tightness inside him eases slowly, and his lips twitch into an awkward smile. “So, which movie did you watch?”

“Kingsman 2.” He replies easily now, settling back into the fluffy pillows. “How was your day?”

“Hmm, I spent the morning finishing an assignment. Then I went to a class in the afternoon. Then I took a nap. And now I'm here. How was Kingsman 2?”

“Not as good as the first one. The plot’s predictable, the political commentary was surprising, but it's pretty funny otherwise.” Ten replies as he slides onto his back and adjusts his hold on the phone. The blanket is taking its time warming up, so he wiggles closer against his mattress.

Jaehyun makes a thoughtful noise. “Do you like movies? Do you have a favourite genre?”

Ten scoffs and says, “Who doesn't like movies? I don't have a favourite genre, but I'm always in the mood for action or sci-fi.”

“And not In the Mood for Love?”

There was a silence, and Ten lets out an awkward cough. “Excuse me?”

“Um.” Jaehyun chuckles nervously. “I meant that as a joke, somewhat. I guess it's a pretty obscure reference. It's a film by a Hong Kong filmmaker, Wong Kar Wai. A romantic drama. The story is great, the performances are phenomenal, and the scores are really well written too.”

Ten snorts. “You lost me at romantic. Is it one of your favourite films?”

“Yeah.” Jaehyun responds, unabashed. “It’s one of a few films that inspired me to be a better storyteller. I mean, I’ve thought of being a scriptwriter because of it, but decided that limiting myself to one form of media would be kind of boring. But imagine that something you write gets to be played on the silver screen… that’s pretty special, y’know?”

Ten unconsciously smiles at Jaehyun’s response. Passion isn’t something he hears about often, especially in his line of study...work. Most people don’t go into finance because they genuinely like what they do. It’s more so something they’re good at doing, and can make money from, to do other things they actually enjoy.

“I think I understand that.” He says.

Jaehyun chuckles. “Also- figures you wouldn't like romantic movies. It doesn't seem like you to…”

“Be romantic?”

“Yeah.”

Ten quirks his lips slightly as the feeling of exhaustion creep into his bones. It’s only, he checks, 10 minutes into the call, and he’s already a bag of skin and bones. It doesn't help that the lights are dimmed and Jaehyun’s voice is low and warm and familiar, resonating through him and pooling at the pit of his stomach. So maybe it's why he continues with this: “I suppose. It's probably why my previous relationships have all gone horribly wrong.”

“Huh.” There was a beat of silence, Jaehyun was probably not expecting this. “What happened? Why do you say that?”

Ten pulls closer to his phone, tracing his memories slow and careful. “I… wasn’t very good at rejecting people. So when someone confesses to me, I’d mostly say yes out of guilt, then they’d learn that I’m not the person they thought I’d be, just as I’m getting to know them, and the relationship ends soon after. I’ve never been too emotionally involved though, and I've learned to be better at rejecting people.”

Jaehyun snorts disbelievingly. “Geez, you make it sound like you get a confession every week.”

“If I did, my retention rate would be pathetically low.” Ten says dryly. “But it's a good thing, I suppose, for being known as the person who isn't interested in anyone.”

Jaehyun makes a sound like he’s about to say something, but he exhales softly and chuckles instead. “Trust you to turn this into some talk about retention rates.”

Ten rolls his eyes. “Not everyone’s born a romantic, you know.”

Jaehyun coughs. “I… wouldn't know, actually. My birthday is on Valentine's Day.”

“...No shit. Really?” Ten blinks.

“Kinda hard to joke about. My uncle has given me Valentine's themed presents for twenty years and counting.”

Ten’s eyes widen in horror. “You poor thing. Aren’t you sick of chocolates?”

“Heh. Lucky for me, I have a fantastic appetite for sweet things.” Comes the toothy reply, and Ten rolls his eyes. He can hear the wide grin in Jaehyun’s voice.

“Of course you do.”

“It’s really not so bad.” Jaehyun laughs, all warm and hearty. “I get my annual supply of chocolates in one go, I don’t even need to dress up and wait for Hallowe’en to come around.”

Despite his exasperation, Ten smiles. “Now who’s the popular one?”

“I never claimed to be  _unpopular_. I also don’t have girls throwing themselves at me.” Jaehyun says teasingly, continuing before Ten can protest. “So, how was your day?”

Ten pauses, recounting his day with an absent smile. “It was...um... alright, I guess.”

“Hm? What happened?”

He chews on his lip, not really wanting to bore the other with work details. “It's been really busy at the office, and I missed a few dance classes to stay late and finish the work. The friends I went to the movies with are also from the same dance studio, and they weren't happy and made sure I knew. So...”

Jaehyun snickers, but doesn't comment otherwise, so Ten continues. “So they kinda guilt-tripped me into a dance competition.”

Jaehyun blinks. “Whoa. Competition? That's… kind of extreme, even for guilt-tripping. Is this your first?”

Ten snorts. “Please, I’ve been sweeping golds since I was 8 years old.” He says, too proud of his accomplishments to even attempt a guise of modesty.

Jaehyun coughs. “Has anyone ever told you humility is one of the greatest virtues?”

“I’ve never claimed to be virtuous. And I’m pretty sure it’s love, not humility.” Ten says pointedly, smirking. “That being said, I’m a little worried. I don’t know how I’ll balance dance and work and studying at the same time.”

He hears Jaehyun make a low, thoughtful sound. “Well, if the exam isn’t for the next month, studying should probably take the back seat so you can commit more time to dance and work.”

Ten nods, having already come to the same conclusion to himself. He’ll just have to buckle down and study harder afterwards. He lets out a soft sigh, already dreading the whole ordeal.

“Still there?”

“Yeah. Just mentally counting the number of pages I need to study every day when the competition is over.”

“20?”

“Higher.”

“100.”

“What. Lower.”

“99.”

“32 pages. It's not so bad once I get into the zone, I think. But I probably won't have time to dance for a while.”

“I was going to guess that next! But also, that sucks.”

“Yeah…” Ten’s trails his response and stifles a yawn. “You were going to say something. Just now.”

“Hm? When?”

“When we were talking about dating and retention rates and stuff. What were you going to say?”

“Oh. Well, it's more of a question.”

There was an expectant pause, and Ten hears Jaehyun fidgeting on the other side and frowns. “Aren't you going to ask?”

“I'm not sure that it'd be appropriate.” Jaehyun says cautiously.

“Ask anyway. I want-”  _to know more about you_ , he wants to say, which probably isn’t wise, but he catches himself before his fatigue slips. He shakes his head and tries again. “I’ll tell you if you push too far.” He says reassuringly.

“Okay… fine. So, I know this is all all prank to get back all your sister. But you could've easily asked for any other agent when I wasn't available. So, why didn't you?”

At first, Ten has no answer. He’s been successfully avoiding that question up until this point. It also vaguely feels like he’s being backed into a corner, and he’s not sure that he likes it. “I don’t know,” he says finally. It’s a bullshit answer, he knows, but he’s not sure what he should say.

“Oh,” says Jaehyun, curt and vaguely... disappointed?

That was not what Ten expected. He flusters for a moment. “I’ve gotten used to talking to you, I guess. And you know why I call, which saves me fifteen minutes of explaining my story and that I really don’t expect phone sex to happen. I’d rather not have to repeat myself every time.”

It sounds convincing, valid, right? It’s easier to stick to the facts, keep everything as objective as possible. It may not be the whole truth, but it’s not like Jaehyun needs to know, and Ten doesn't think it's worth talking about anyway.

“And here I thought it was because you actually enjoy talking to me.” Jaehyun says, feigning hurt.

But Ten, still nervous, doesn't catch his tone and blurts out: “You are very easy to talk to. And you’re nice, mostly. And you have a nice voice. To be honest. I-” He takes a breath. “It kind of feels like, if we met in a different situation, we’d be close?”

“...um. What do you mean?”

“Like, close friends. If we’d met… some other way.”

There was a pause of disbelief, before Jaehyun awkwardly replies, “Well. If I’m to be honest, this isn’t a bad way to meet someone. I know your preferences right off the bat.”

“Except I’m not actually-”

“Looking for sex. I know.” Jaehyun cuts in, his tone changing from serious to something lighter. “So, it’s easier to put up with our bickering instead of finding someone else to torment and tease, huh? Just my luck.” He comments, and it sounds like he's biting back a grin.

“Pft. Stop playing the victim card. I know you’re enjoying this too.” Ten replies.

“Yeah? And how would you know?”

“You’ve neither hung up nor slapped a restraining order on me despite your threats. I'll take my chances.”

“Well. They're starting to sound like good advices now.”

There was a long pause; then Jaehyun coughs discreetly, but it wasn’t really that discrete because the phone picks up every decibel of detail. Then they dissolve into low chuckles after, Ten rolling onto his side and pulling the covers to under his chin, getting more comfortable.

“Stop getting so comfortable in bed when I'm cramped up in a tiny office, forced to entertain you for another-” Jaehyun shuffles around, presumably to check the time. “35 minutes.”

He rubs his tired eyes and frowns suspiciously. “...How did you know that I'm in bed?”

“Because it sounds like you're in a tunnel. And there's a lot of rustling.”

Ten scoffs. “Uh huh. You sure it isn't from experience? Like, some client's kink.”

“Believe it or not, this is the first time I’ve talked to someone while they're burrowed under a pile of covers, sentences away from passing out. Next level sexy stuff, this.” He says teasingly, and Ten scowls. “You sure you don't want to have an earlier night?”

Ten mumbles something about mothering and checks the phone. Jaehyun wasn't lying, there's another 33 minutes to go. He gets annoyed and pushes the covers away. He knows he can stay awake, and being told that he can't do something only adds fire to his stubbornness.

“It’s fine. I’ve switched positions. I’m awake.” He says with an edge of impatience.

“Oh? Well. Then. What's your favourite position?”

All of the energy leaves in an exhale at the question, Ten's brain quickly becoming a glob of useless, exhausted grey matter. “Are we talking about sex, or sleeping?” He asks dryly.

“The latter? Either? My question was innocent, for the record.”

“I’m sure it was.” Ten says, unconvinced. Still, he gives a straight response. “I sleep on my side a lot, but most mornings I wake up on my back.”

There’s a silence that follows, almost in anticipation, and Ten scowls. “I’m not answering the other question.”

“You’re the one who posed it.” Jaehyun counters.

Ten groans. “One of the many things I regret having left my mouth.” When his brain registers what he said, Jaehyun is already roaring with laughter. “Wait-”

“You literally dug your own hole, then went deeper. I didn't even say anything.”

“I’ve had a long day. Give me a break.” He complains loudly over Jaehyun’s laughter.

“Then shouldn’t it be easier to just talk, let it all out?” Comes the reply, all low and sexy and suggestive.

Pink blooms across Ten’s features, Jaehyun really needs to stop using that voice. Still, he hesitates. He doesn’t even talk about sex with his friends. The only friend who does is Yuta who (to no one’s surprise) provides way more detail than strictly necessary, making Ten blush a brilliant red only sentences into his stories. Ten can’t say he holds the same enthusiasm. He mumbles something quietly, causing Jaehyun to arch an eyebrow in question. “What? I couldn’t catch that.”

“I said: I don’t have that much experience, so I don’t have a favourite position.”

There was a disbelieving moment of silence, and Ten scowls further, feeling the blush creep up his neck. “I told you, the girls who approach me all paint me out to be some angsty teenager who just wants to be loved- or some bullshit like that. How often would you want to get laid from that approach?”

“Oh.” Jaehyun says, surprised... and unexpectedly curious. “What about people you actually like?”

“I don't like many people.” He replies shortly.

“Or people you find attractive, personality-wise? And want to get to know them better?”

Ten rolls his eyes. “And where, pray tell, do I meet these people?”

Jaehyun shakes his head. “You’re still in university, albeit the last year. You must get invites to apartment parties, right? Or house parties? Club crawls? Bar hopping? Randomly getting lucky with your handsome good looks, which apparently is a thing with how often girls throw themselves at your feet? I bet you even have fangirls. Like, lowkey fangirling you when you dance.”

“If you haven't noticed, I'm not the most outgoing of people. Socializing is mostly done out of necessity, not enjoyment.” He pauses, feeling a vein twitch at his temple. “And really?  _Fangirls_? Dance competitions are not places people go to to- to oggle…

“There might be fangirls and you’re too oblivious to realize.” Jaehyun says. Ten rolls his eyes.

“There are no fangirls-” Ten starts.

“Not yet.”

“No neon signs or stalkers-”

“Not y-”

“Cut that out.”

There’s a sharp intake of breath and jaws clamping shut to stop the chuckle from escaping. Peeved, Ten rolls to his side and kicks at the blanket that’s getting too annoyingly warm. “Whatever. I’m perfectly comfortable with my dance and social life.” He huffs.

“I know. You are equally easy and fun to rile up.” Jaehyun admits. Ten growls and pulls his body in a tight curl. There's again long moment of silence, Ten, lost in his own thoughts and Jaehyun… doing whatever Jaehyun is doing.

Concluding loudly that Jaehyun is kind of a terrible person, to which said person agrees cheekily, Ten changes the subject. “What are you up to?”

“Talking to you,” says Jaehyun.

“No homework?” Ten asks.

“Nah, not today.” Jaehyun answers easily. “I guess you’re not going to be studying tonight either, right?”

“Mm no too tired.”

The conversation lulls again, and Ten feels his eyelids dipping lower.

“Tell me a story.” Ten says suddenly.

“...Do you are also want me to tuck you in and kiss you good night?” Jaehyun asks warily.

“Don’t be weird. Just tell me a story so I can stay awake.”

“What are you, three?”

“Appreciation for a good story isn't limited by age. Also, you write.” Ten reasons.

“Uh. I write pornographic short stories...” Jaehyun says, perplexed and amused.

“Then keep it PG then. I know you can do it.” Ten challenges, because he’d never admit that he’s whining, and it works.

“Okay… fine.” Jaehyun says. Ten celebrates his win internally. “Once upon a time, there was a boy. He lost his parents at at young age and grew up with his perverted uncle. He was so cute and handsome and everyone loved him.”

Ten scoffs, forcing himself to blink to stay awake. “Laying it on pretty thick there.”

“Shush, it's my story. Also, you don’t even know how I look like so.  _So_. This boy, right? He's a part time phone sex operator for a gay hotline, and one night he gets a call from a really dumb kid-”

Immediately, the hairs on the back of Ten’s neck stands straight. “Dumb? Kid? Dude, I'm older than you!” Ten sputters indignantly.

“Rude kid, then. And yes a kid because he asks for bedtime stories, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but he takes it that way.  _Anyway_. He keeps getting call requests from the same boy who is neither gay, nor down for phone sex, and has to entertain said boy for one hour, every day.”

“You’re getting compensated for your time, don’t make this sound like some parasitic relationship.” Ten retorts, wrinkling his nose.

“-correction: very rude. For always interrupting. Anyway, he wonders if the other boy can at least be agreeable, or maybe flirt back from time to time, please and thank you. The end.”

There was a short pause, where Ten doesn't really know what to say to the last bit, so he does what he does best and ignores it. “That's it? Lame.”

Jaehyun scoffs, like he's already expected the answer. “Yeah? How about you come up with something better.” He challenges. Ten knows it’s a bait, but he scrunches his face up in competitive determination anyway.

“Once upon already time, there was a boy. He's an introvert and shy, and grew up being bullied by his sister so he struggles to grow out of old habits. It's better when he dances, so he dances as lot, so much that it becomes an irreplaceable part of his life.”

“-Wait hold on.” Jaehyun interrupts.

“What.” Says Ten expectantly.

“Oh, nothing. Just wanted to interrupt you so you know how it feels. Continue.” He can hear Jaehyun bite back a smirk, and swears he'll get him back for that.

“ _So anyway_. He's smart and hardworking and a great friend, but only to a few, because he’s shy. Also he wants to stress that he’s respectful towards everyone and that he’s not sexually interested in anyone and that socializing makes him want to curl into a ball in hopes the rest of the world would just stop forcing him to talk,  _please and thank you_. ”

Jaehyun makes an indistinct sound, clearly unimpressed. Therefore, there is zero deliberation when he says this next: “For someone who finds socializing horrifyingly perplexing and all, you sure like talking to me.”

Ten opens his mouth, then closes it. There is another long pause of silence, one neither are willing to break. They both know Jaehyun is right, Ten just doesn’t want to confirm it. Damn him for being able to talk about these things so easily. These, ugh...feelings. Ten burrows the side of his face into the pillow, breathing deeply, letting the bruising silence ride out a bit longer.

Eventually, slowly and all too soon, he feels his eyelids get heavier and heavier, his mind blacking out for periods of time, that he almost misses Jaehyun’s question. He asks the other to repeat again.

“I said: Any plans for tomorrow?” Jaehyun says. So... they’re going to ignore it. Okay.

“Work. Maybe dance if I finish on time. You?” He breathes, feeling truly sentences away from passing out.

“It’s my day off, remember?” Jaehyun says, soft and low.

“Oh, right.”

“Gonna miss me?”

“Hm. You wish.”

“That's too bad. Cos I'm going to miss my only phone sex friend.”

“...”

“Like, so much.”

“...”

“Think you’ll be able to survive two days without talking to me?”

In a tired haze, Ten closes his eyes and frowns. The question isn’t worth the serious consideration. It really isn’t. But he knows, somewhere deep down, he’ll feel a little more... empty? The corners of his mouth pull low, his heart thumps a little harder, and he mutters something unintelligible.

“Stop mumbling. I couldn't catch that at all.”

Squeezing his eyes shut out of frustration, Ten focuses really hard. “I said: what if I can’t? Will you give me your personal phone number?”

“...”

“Did you hear what I just said? I said: Will. You. Give. Me. Your. Personal-”

“-I… heard."

"Then give it to me."

"I… Are you serious?” Ten nods and replies, very firmly, that he’s serious, and he hears Jaehyun exhale into the receiver. “Okay... wait actually, give me your number instead, because I don’t think you’re in any state to save mine. I’ll text you to confirm, okay?”

Exhausted, Ten nods and mumbles his digits, and repeats it twice for good measure, as he’s pretty convinced Jaehyun is deaf to most of the things he says. He hears Jaehyun wish him a night night just as his eyes slide shut. Vaguely, he hears his phone ping once, the sound of a text coming through, and smiles and falls asleep.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Jaehyun takes his phone out again, swiping the key to unlock, and sees the four message bubbles. The same four bubbles he's been staring at ever since he received them. He eyes at them warily, still wondering if this is all some kind of a cosmic joke, or a dream that he's bound to wake from any second now. Sometimes life gets overwhelming, so Jaehyun has the habit of telling himself to take it one day at a time. Except one day at a time is too much when it involves Ten. He's intense through and through, unexpectable too; exchanging insults one moment, then phone numbers the next.

In the chat, under his message with his number are three short messages:

7:02 AM  
Thanks

7:06 AM  
Hope you have a good day  
Talk later

Not one for emoticons, Jaehyun muses. Not that he pegs Ten as being particularly emotive to begin with, but the small revelation surprises him nonetheless. It’s been about 12 hours since. Jaehyun locks and places his phone face down on the table again. A repeated motion at this point, with the exception of where the phone ends up- face down on his pillow in the morning, tucked into a jacket pocket on his way to class, attempt-ignored under a notebook during class.

So maybe he's a little obsessive, but he likes to think that in this situation, most people would be.

“Jaehyun! Sorry to keep you waiting.” Comes from a voice beside him. Then he sees Sicheng taking a seat in front of him, smiling brightly.

They met in high school when Sicheng was painfully shy, with his curious eyes and innocent expression. And behind that, Jaehyun saw the loneliness, recognized the inability to communicate properly, and grew protective of the new student- he had felt the same way growing up without parents, and unable to connect with friends who did. It took a lot of coaxing and dimpled smiles from Jaehyun to break the ice but eventually they grew close- then Jaehyun moved away in senior year. In those three years years, a group of Jaehyun’s friends formed a chat called the 97 Liners, and they’ve used it to meet up for basketball games, movie outings, and more recently, drinks and karaoke.

Sicheng was involuntarily added into said group, the newly minted 97 liner, and have grown accustomed, even comfortable, at the quick English ribbing. It also helped that he was a very smart student, graduated with top honours and getting accepted into one of the toughest programs in the city’s university. When Jaehyun found out they lived in the same neighbourhood, they started meeting up more again. Or as much as their schedules allow for which, currently, isn’t all that much.

Jaehyun quickly pockets his phone, a wide smile already in place. “Hey, how's it going? It's been a while.”

Sicheng shrugs off his jacket, speaking in even, measured sentences. “Busy. I didn't realize a double major in engineering and business management was synonymous to not having a social life, and yet.” He trails off, making sure the parka isn't touching the ground, then settles down. “How have you been?”

Jaehyun nods empathetically. “Same, with one less major and one more job.”

“Oh, yeah. How is that gig working out for you? Wait, what was it again? Customer services or something?”

“Er. Phone… sex operator.” Jaehyun eyes hesitantly at Sicheng.

“Right. I swear I’d remember these things if my memory isn’t used up with knowledge I probably won’t need five, ten years down the road.” Sicheng complains, squeezing the back of his neck sheepishly, completely glazing over Jaehyun’s initial hesitation and Jaehyun smiles.

“Two more years to go!” Jaehyun chuckles and pats his best friend’s shoulder, to which Sicheng groans and hides his face in his hands.

“Two years too long.” Then he looks between the cracks of his fingers and smiles. “Let's order, I'm hungry.”

They ordered their usual, some stupid amount of Korean fried chicken and a pitcher of domestic, and Sicheng tilts his head sideways and squints at Jaehyun.

“What's up?” Jaehyun asks curiously.

There is a slight pause. “Hm. Nothing. So, phone sex operator, huh? How is that going?”

“It's really not as interesting as people imagine it to be.” Jaehyun replies with a cryptic smile.

The corner of Sicheng’s mouth quirks upwards. “Yeah? Would it have anything to do with that-” He gestures at Jaehyun whose hand was just about to unlock his phone- again.  _Well, shit_. “I saw you looking at your phone when I came in. You've checked it once and about to check it again, and I haven't even gotten my water yet. You’re as busy as I am, ergo, it’s someone you met at work, or from work.” He meets Jaehyun’s eyes squarely, still smiling that innocent, disarming smile.

Jaehyun flushes bright pink despite himself. He nods once, seeing as there’s no point in denying the truth, nor is there any real harm, and Sicheng’s smile widens into a grin. “You really need to stop doing that. It’s downright scary how accurate you are.” Jaehyun ducks his head and clears his throat inconspicuously.

“You’re just easy to read, Jae.” Sicheng grins winningly. “So, tell me more about this person.”

Jaehyun huffs, eyebrow arching at the intelligent eyes of his best friend. “There isn't much to say, to be honest. I met him through work, and we've been talking everyday for the past 6 days.”

Sicheng narrows his eyes. “Oh? So… he's a customer. Is he a student? How do you know this is safe?”

“It's a bit of a long story. He's a customer, but we don't actually do anything. He's a student from what I gather, either that or he's a really good liar. And I only have to be concerned with safety if we meet up, which is against company policy to be directly involved with customers anyway, so that's…” Sicheng raises a full, well defined brow. “...probably not happening?”

“Hmm. Six days? So today marks the first week? And you haven't done anything?”

“Hard to imagine, right?” Jaehyun says jokingly, chuckling in good humour.

Sicheng’s eyes widen slightly, then he smiles and shakes his head, like knowing something Jaehyun doesn't. “So what's he like?”

Jaehyun demeanour shifts slightly, eyes downcast, the hint of a smile about his face. “A finance student. Super gungho about making it in the world of finance. And he dances, which seems like the opposite side of the spectrum, but it works for him. Not that I've see him dance, or know how he looks like, really. All I know is that he is a good dancer and currently has pink hair.”

Sicheng raises an eyebrow in question, so Jaehyun gives a short version of Ten’s pink hair story, and fills the rest of the time up with anecdotes of their conversations, up until what had happened last night, and the four message bubbles that now exist in the virtual world of his cellphone. The sizzling plate of half green onion, half spicy chicken disappear slowly, Sicheng making appropriate noises of acknowledgment as the bones make a neat pile on his plate, Jaehyun’s own plate is scattered with stray bones.

When Jaehyun finishes talking, he smacks Sicheng’s hands away from the remaining food, and Sicheng grins unapologetically, but pulls back all the same. Jaehyun can easily out-eat him, and he's not about to order another plate. “Wow.” He reaches for the chilled pint, hiding his smile behind the fizzy alcoholic drink. “He sounds like a charmer.”

Jaehyun rolls his eyes. “You have no idea. And I don't know how I feel about this, either.” He taps his phone, lying face down on the table. “I feel like I took advantage of him when he was in a vulnerable state… or just unaware? Or, I feel like I didn't do something right?” Sicheng narrows his eyes slightly, and he slows down. “I'm over-thinking this, aren't I?”

“You’re definitely overthinking this. And if you don't eat the rest of that, I'm going to help myself before it gets cold.” Sicheng looks pointedly at the chicken, crossing his arms. Jaehyun narrows his eyes and edges the sizzling plate closer to himself. When Jaehyun packs down two pieces and reaches for the beer, Sicheng looks like he's decided on something too.

“I don't think he's vulnerable; he asked for your number and said he'd call even after he's slept on it.” Sicheng comments carefully, looking at the trails of condensation on the side of the glass. “It also sounds like he hasn't given what he wants any thought, so he claims that he's not interested.”

Jaehyun hums quietly, agreeing, but not really knowing how to deal with this information.

“You like him. Don't you?”

Jaehyun chokes on the chicken. He glares balefully at Sicheng’s impeccable timing, downing a few gulps of beer with tears in his eyes, even though the drink doesn’t really help. “Seriously?” His voice is raspy, low, and all but threatening Sicheng, who chuckles prettily in return.

“You’re not denying it.”

“Okay. No. That’s not. Not even a thing. Not anything. It’s only been a week.”

“Romeo and Juliet met, fell in love, and died for each other in four days.” Sicheng points out, the corner of his mouth twitches, like that's the most valid explanation ever.

“They’re also  _fictional._ And they were in their early teens. Are you really comparing my life to Shakespeare?”

“It sounds about as fantastical as Shakespeare, or like, Disney. So yeah, a pretty fair comparison.”

“Not helpful.” Jaehyun groans and slumps onto the table, pushing the dishes away in the process. "It’s just that- I don’t think I’ve ever met someone as… funny. As interesting. As weird and extreme and attractive. And I haven’t actually met him.” He mumbles.

Sicheng hums ambiguously, refilling their pints and popping a few pieces of rice snacks into his mouth. “What are you gonna do then?”

Jaehyun looks up from his elbow, brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Like, what are you doing about this… thing?”

“Probably nothing? The phone bill will come in another week, and he won't have a reason to call after that.”

“Well. Romeo and Juli-”

“ _And_ I would be jeopardizing my job, which would be very unfortunate because I actually like it and the people I work with.”

Jaehyun looks at everywhere but Sicheng’s face, where he knows a single brow will be raised, matching the unimpressed expression. He clears his throat uncomfortably. “I think I'll be able to figure this out on my own.” He says finally, licking his lips.

Sicheng nods slowly, watching Jaehyun fidget for another minute before shrugging and move the conversation onto something else, like what they'll be singing and how the other guys are. Eventually, they get the bill and hurry over to the karaoke bar. The wind is getting stronger and the forecast predicts a snow storm later in the evening. When they burst into the establishment, five tall figures turn to look at them, and three bound over like puppies to a toy. Mingyu and Yugyeom watch on with concealed amusement.

Seokmin’s hand clasps onto Jaehyun’s in a firm bro handshake, eyes crinkling in a wide smile as Minghao and BamBam give Sicheng a similar treatment. Dongmin comes soon after and the group exchanges pleasantries while waiting for the last to come; Jungkook has always been bad with directions- even when he's already been to the place.

BamBam complains loudly about the time when Jungkook finally arrives, face red and panting slightly. “Hey! Sorry for being late. I saw a kitten on the side of the street and decided to save it-”

They all roll their eyes in amused exasperation- it's been years and by now, they've all heard of his outlandish excuses. Yugyeom pulls the rambling boy into his arms for a big hug, looping BamBam in as well, and it stops the both of them from talking. The rest dissolve into chuckles.

A pimpled part-timer ushers them into a big room, explains the working of machine, takes down an order of 2 bottles of soju, and leaves them to their devices. Yugyeom and BamBam briefly fight over the controller while the others flip through the song book, then BamBam sticks his tongue in Yugyeom’s ear, who recoils in disgust and BamBam waves the remote around in victory.

“Alright let's hear some requests!” He shouts.

“Humble!” Yugyeom screams.

“Gimme the number you dumbass!”

The drinks are brought in, everyone takes a shot, and the night proceeds in a loud, rambunctious fashion.

-

They’re six soju bottles and too many hours into karaoke when Jaehyun belatedly feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. He’s not drunk per se, but he’s definitely had a good amount of alcohol to be louder, jollier than he normally is. But then again, singing has that effect on him. He solo’ed a few songs, then sang a few duets and, though it was kind of terrible and he wouldn’t do it sober, rapped.

Surprisingly, Sicheng and Minghao start bets on who can get the better score singing Jay Chou songs, with BamBam and the others egging them on. Sicheng wins and Minghao cries foul play at the machine, then Mingyu's song comes up and he steals the mics from their grips and shoves them all against his face, the others complaining loudly.

Smiling at the scene, Jaehyun unlocks his phone and sees a new text from Ten, then squints his bleary eyes at the message, ignoring how his heart beats just a bit faster.

10:50 PM  
May I call in 10 mins?

He groans when he squints at the time, and rubs his eyes sluggishly. In the background, BamBam, Yugyeom, Mingyu and Jungkook are busting out a more provocative My Ear’s Candy than the original with Baek Ji Young and Taecyong, which is saying something.

“What's up?” asks Seokmin, slinging an arm around Jaehyun’s shoulder. His eyes are crescents and he's smiling so wide it's a miracle his face doesn't split.

“Trouble in paradise?” Sicheng pipes in, shooting a rare wink.

Seokmin blinks at Jaehyun. “Paradise?”

Jaehyun rolls his eyes at Sicheng. “Ignore him. I didn't realize how late it was and… I have an early class tomorrow.” He lies, avoiding Seokmin's gaze.

Sicheng smirks knowingly, but Seokmin's eyebrows furrow in concern, then he checks his watch. “Oh shit, it  _is_ getting late.”

Meanwhile, Jaehyun turns away and types a quick reply- “Still out. Can I call you instead, when I get back?” and sends it off quickly.

“Guess you're heading out then?” Seokmin asks, suddenly curious. Jaehyun looks on questioningly, but nods. “I think I might head out too.”

Remembering that Seokmin lives in a res building by his apartment, Jaehyun nods and the two make their exit. His phone vibrates. Through the preview, Ten replies with a simple  _Okay_ which makes Jaehyun smile.

It is unexpectedly windy out, and combined with the fat snowflakes, makes for a refreshing change to the stuffy karaoke room. Jaehyun loosens his scarf as Seokmin bumbles about beside him, still singing.

“With new horizons to pursue! I'LL CHASE THEM ANYWHERE! THERE'S TIME TO SPARE!” He belts. Seokmin has a nice voice, and this is a song Jaehyun knows, so he sings Aladin’s part with Seokmin, finishing the song. Then they grow quiet, Seokmin shooting a wide eyed glance at Jaehyun.

“Hey, Jaehyun!” Seokmin shouts out to in front of them.

Jaehyun chuckles. “Hmm?”

Seokmin turns to him and holds his shoulders in a firm grip. His eyes are slightly unfocused, cheeks rosy, and still smiling widely. He shouts, “Jaehyun! Do you realize how handsome you are!”

“You only remind me every time we hang out and get drunk together.” Jaehyun says goodnaturedly, a tilt to his lips.

“So you know, which means you're doing this on purpose!” Seokmin's smile wobbles, and Jaehyun cocks his head to the side in question.

“What do you mean?”

But Seokmin isn't really interested in talking, because he's looking at Jaehyun like in a trance, from his eyes, to his lips, then back again. Immediately, Jaehyun steps back, but Seokmin follows and almost trips on the sidewalk. His hands quickly shoot out to stable the other man, whose features fold into a wide grin again.

“You are very pretty. And I'm going to kiss you!” Seokmin announces, then promptly blacks out and falls, dead weight, on a blushing Jaehyun.

Needless to say, it took a lot longer than the anticipated 20 minutes to get back to his apartment since he had to drop Seokmin off, who came to about mid-way, heaving into a potted plant, all but forgotten about what he did before he blacked out. When Jaehyun finally steps into his apartment, he's out of breath and quite sober. It's also 11:30 pm. He quickly changes into his pyjamas and dives onto his bed and looks at his phone for a moment, hesitant, then opens the chat.

His heart has been flip-flopping the entire day, from feeling nervous about Ten’s texts and last night’s conversation, to seeing Sicheng and the other guys, to Seokmin… and now, here he is, back home, staring at his phone.

It’s late. But he did say he would call. It’s not normal to be this nervous about a phone call, is it? He takes a deep breath. Another moment passes before he presses the green button.

The call goes through on the second ring.

“Hi? This is Jaehyun.”

“Hey, you're late.” Ten says, voice unhappy with a hint of sleep.

“Oh. Did I wake you? I'm sorry.” Jaehyun says, genuinely feeling bad.

"No, it's okay. I wasn't sleeping,” says Ten, following up with a muffled yawn.

“Really? Are you in bed?” Jaehyun pushes hesitantly.

There was a pause, then some quiet shuffling about, which definitely sounds like he’s in bed. “No?” Comes the response, clipped and embarrassed.

Jaehyun laughs while Ten mumbles incoherently, but he hears something about mind-reading jerks so he figures he’s hit the nail head on. “Alright, alright. How was your day?”

“Long, busy, tired. The usual. How was karaoke?” Ten asks.

Jaehyun hums. “It was fun. I went with a bunch of high school friends, we sang for… hours. Too many hours. And I think a friend was trying to kiss me, but he was drunk, so maybe he’s just an affectionate drunk.”

There was a short pause. Then: “Oh. Are all of your friends gay?”

Jaehyun raises a brow in question. “No? I mean, they haven’t come out to me, but I assume they’re not all gay. Why?”

Ten stumbles on his next words. “Well, I mean. It’s not that I associate you with the LGBTQ community exclusively, but I wouldn’t be surprised that people from the community form a tight-knit group, sort of as a look out for one another. Like really close friends… or something.”

He trails off as he finishes the sentence, and Jaehuyn smiles despite himself. “Ah, yeah, I suppose that’s true for university. But my friends from high school are less about that, I think.”

“You  _think_?” Ten repeats.

Jaehyun chuckles softly. “Aw, why are you asking? Are you jealous?”

“No!” He replies a little too quickly.

Jaehyun snorts and flips onto his side, facing the bedside table with the clock. “Really? Because you sound awfully interested in this topic.” He teases.

Ten coughs. “Just. You know, making conversation.”

“Uh huh.” Jaehyun replies dubiously.

“So, did you end up kissing?”

Jaehyun pauses. This is starting to sound like the sexual awakening conversation except for the fact that he’s talking with Ten who, according to himself, is straight as a ruler. He clears his throat and keeps his tone light and teasing. “Nah. I’m not the type to kiss a drunk friend, no matter how much they profess their undying love for me.”

“He sounds pretty gay to me,” says Ten, sounding almost unhappy.

“Um. Well. Let me put it this way, regardless of his sexual orientation, I don’t do that to someone I don’t like.” Jaehyun says firmly.

“Oh,” Ten says.

They lull into another moment of silence, then Jaehyun says, “Anyways. Have you been to karaoke before?”

“No… can't say I have. Dancing is enough of a creative outlet for me.” Ten says, and it almost sounds like he’s sulking a little.

Jaehyun sits up suddenly, smiling. “Oh yeah! Did you go to dance today?”

Ten hums. “Yeah. Kind of had to. Felt good to work up a sweat. I almost forgot how fun it was to jam and session.”

Jaehyun chuckles and leans back into his pillow. “Did you decide on a song for the competition?”

“We were feeling the groove of songs today. I think we'll be able to decide by next session.” Ten stifles another yawn. “What songs did you sing tonight?”

“Uh.” There was a long pause, where Jaehyun tries his best to remember and not be distracted with what had happened more recently in the evening, with Seokmin. “We sang a lot of songs. I don't even know where to start.” Jaehyun admits sheepishly.

“The last one you sang, then.” Ten says.

“Well.” Jaehyun pauses for a moment. “I guess it's A Whole New World, the Aladin song.”

Ten snorts. “Do you aspire to be a Disney prince or something?”

That earns already hearty laugh from Jaehyun. “So long as there are no princesses for me to save from fire-breathing monsters and evil magical queens and all, sure why not?”

Ten chuckles as well. “Their sole purpose is to save the girl.”

“And kiss the girl.” Says Jaehyun.

“Give me your voice, Ariel.” Ten attempts a low, sultry voice.

“Not in a million years, Urs.” Jaehyun shoots back.

“Or I'll tentacle rape you.” The sultry voice threatens.

“Whoa. Is this turning into one of those calls? So this is your plan all along. Get the goods and not pay for it.” Jaehyun exclaims in mock wide-eyed realization.

Ten snorts. “You wish, princess.”

“No, I very much  _do not_ wish for that.”

“Not much into tentacles, huh?” Ten asks teasingly. Jaehyun can almost hear the smirk in the other man’s voice, but moreover, the tone of his voice made him shiver slightly.

Maybe it’s getting late and Ten is less guarded than he normally is, like last night, but Jaehyun swears that there’s an almost-flirtatious tilt in the other man’s voice. He burrows himself closer in the bed, making almost a cocoon with his sheets.

“That’s a very firm no. I mean, no offense to those who like it, but personally, not a fan.”

Ten snickers. “...You’ve totally watched tentacle porn, haven’t you?”

Jaehyun coughs and licks his lips. “While I don’t mind that this conversation is going into our porn watching habits, I will let you know that I do a lot of research for  _very specific knowledge_  to pair with  _very specific_   _talents_. So continue at your own risk.”

A long pause follows, then Ten huffs quietly, and Jaehyun mentally lets out a sigh of relief.

“Fine. Whatcha up to?”

Jaehyun smiles and exhales softly. “Nothing much really, just got home, in bed now.”

Ten hums. “Do you change into your pyjamas before you go into bed?”

Jaehyun snorts. “You're still trying to picture me? But yes, I do. Also, now I know how it feels to be talking to you from the comfort of my home.”

Ten smiles. “It’s just easier to talk to you if I can imagine you, even though we’ve never met. Pretty comfortable, isn't it? This is how your clients feel.”

Jaehyun laughs, tired and loose. “I’m pretty sure I make my clients feel more than just this when I’m done with them.”

Ten makes a noncommittal sound, then Jaehyun hears another muffled yawn.  _He must be really tired_   _if_   _he's not kicking up a fuss_ , Jaehyun thinks.

“With the way you sound right now, I can imagine.”

_Huh._

Jaehyun raises a brow. It’s a low hanging fruit, but he’s curious where this might go. “Really? How do I sound right now?”

Ten clears his throat, and there’s a bit more rustling- he’s probably getting restless. “I don’t know. Your voice is all low and raspy. Like… uhm. Well, from  _karaoke_ of course, I know. But, like, objectively, it sounds what one would consider sexy.”

Up goes the other brow. “Well, okay. Thanks, I guess?”

“It was just an observation, that’s all.” Ten says quickly.

“Ah. Well, you have a nice voice yourself.” Jaehyun says, still in state of disbelief.

“Really? I don’t like it.” Ten wrinkles his nose. “You know how people record and monitor their presentations and stuff? I’ve done that and never liked my voice.” Ten says.

Jaehyun chuckles. “I’m pretty sure most people don’t like their own voices. But it doesn’t mean it isn’t pleasant to listen to objectively.”

Ten laughs as well. “Well, I suppose. But it’s not like it helps me with work or anything. Unless I have a client-facing job, my voice won’t put me at an advantage.”

Jaehyun bites his lip from smiling, then says, “Well, you  _could_ become a phone sex operator, then we’d be phone sex operator buddies.”

It’s a joke. It’s supposed to be taken lightly, but Ten grows quiet for a moment, then makes a thoughtful noise. “I suppose. But I don’t even know how it goes down.”

And he trails off, muttering so quietly Jaehyun almost misses the end. But he catches it, even if a few seconds late, and a blush spreads on his cheeks. “Oh.”

“So, how do you do it?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“The whole phone sex thing, what do you normally do?” Ten asks, like this topic isn’t something he’s vehemently denied any interest to or anything.

Taken back, Jaehyun stutters on his next words. “Um. Are you asking for a demonstration?”

“If that makes it easier for you to explain?”

“Huh.” Jaehyun looks at a spot on the ceiling, teeth worrying on his bottom lip again. “Are you sure?”

At this point, Ten gets a bit impatient and frustrated, and tells the other man to hurry up or he’ll think all of this 'I’m really good at my job’ is all bark and no bite, to which Jaehyun snorts because really, no one wants to get bitten around these parts, anyway.

“Fine. So.” He clears his throat, trying to ignore the blush on his face, and lowers his voice a half note, making it slightly raspy. “Where’s your hand right now, Ten?”

Ten shuffles awkwardly. “Don’t read this the wrong way, but I was playing with the drawstrings of my pyjamas and they’re… um, underneath, now.”

Jaehyun makes a low humming sound of approval. “I see. What colour are your boxers?”

“Why do you want to know that?” Ten frowns. Jaehyun chuckles in response, darker and heedy.

“Like you said, babe, it’s easier to talk to you if I can imagine how you look like. Humour me.”

“It’s a pair of grey Calvin Klein boxers.” Ten mumbles, trying to answer as steadily as he can, and also ignoring the pet name.

“Hm. I bet it looks cute on you.” Jaehyun says, making a noise that sounds almost like a satisfied purr. Despite himself, Ten snorts.

“Is that what you say to everyone?”

“Why? Are you getting possessive?” Jaehyun laughs it off without missing a beat. “Fine, I'll call you Ten, then.”

Ten makes an acknowledging noise that hopefully sounds like,  _Well, let's move on_.

“Just trying to picture you and the sounds you make when I palm you. I bet you like that, when I put pressure and heat right there, hm?”

“Sure. I suppose.” Ten answers, trying to ignore how his responses are coming out a little breathy.

“Good. Because I’d love to do more, with my tongue maybe, but we can wait until later.” Jaehyun smirks, and Ten’s cheeks colour, his hands had unconsciously moved to palm his hardening penis as Jaehyun speaks. “Ten, I want you to play with yourself through the fabric. Imagine my hand palming up from the base of your cock to the tip, then down and up again. My finger draws a ring just underneath your hood, stopping where you’re most sensitive.”

Ten hisses quietly, his hand following the instructions blindly now, his thighs tense.

“You like that, don’t you?” Jaehyun asks.

Because making a soft keening sound is completely out of character and horrifyingly embarrassing, Ten resorts to a weak refute, and Jaehyun hums, low and raspy. “If I were there right now, I’d have a hand holding your hip down, so you can’t thrust back, and my other hand drawing circles around the tip of your cock, then up and down the underside. It’s sensitive there, isn’t it?” 

If he’s honest to himself, there is a mounting problem underneath his palm that might be affecting his response, but he’s not about to volunteer this information to Jaehyun. His eye have gotten blurry from staring at one spot on the ceiling, but closing them and focusing on Jaehyun’s voice would be… dangerous.

Then, before he can respond, Jaehyun pushes on.

“I’d continue until you get fully hard, then dip my fingers underneath your waistband and tug it off, letting me see just what I’m working with. Wouldn’t want to smear all that precum when I can taste it now, would I?”

Ten’s vision sharpens, his mind reeling back, and his dick twitches under his palm.

“Are you going to suck me off?”

“Do you think you can take the heat of my mouth on your cock? Do you want to feel my tongue circling your tip, replacing my fingers and making wide laps on the underside of your cock? Imagine burying your fingers in my hair, pulling me close to your cock as you fuck my mouth, all hot and wet just for you.” Jaehyun says, the tone of his voice more urgent, commanding.

“I think, I- please...”

“Of course, babe. I’d stroke you steadily, teasing your balls with one hand while pumping you with my other. My mouth is around your tip, my tongue repeats a circular motion around and underneath, lickng and tasting the precum leaked from your cock.”

“Do you… like the taste?”

“Yes, because it tastes like you, and I like you very much.” Jaehyun’s voice rumbles through the receiver, a sound that shoots down Ten’s spine and straight to his penis, which is leaking a fair bit now. He thumbs the tip and hisses at the sensation.

“You’re playing with yourself. Good boy.” Jaehyun smirks. He makes a sound like he’s moaning, enjoying the taste, and Ten knows it's incredibly cheesy, but it affects him all the same. “Imagine me looking up from beside your cock. I’ll slowly turn my head and leave wet, open kisses on the inside of your thigh to your pelvis. Then I’ll lick and suck on the skin there while I pump you, leaving wet, red marks as make my way closer to your cock.”

Ten inhales and closes his eyes sharply. “Fuck.”

“That’s the idea, babe. I love when you hold your voice back when I tease you like this, but I want to hear more. Your sounds turn me on a lot… But first tell me, how do you like it?” Jaehyun asks.

“I- Fuck. Hold on. I need to…”

“If you want, I could bring you off, Ten.”

It might be from the dangerous drop of Jaehyun’s voice, but Ten snaps out of his hazy, aroused reverie and realizes that this… wasn’t planned. At all.

“Um. Wait. Wait a minute. I- I think I get the idea now.”

“Are you sure? I think I should make you cum anyway…” Jaehyun trails off, and the silence that follows makes Ten blush even harder.

“Um. No. Um, thanks. It’s okay..” Ten sputters.

“Oh.” Jaehyun clears his throat, realizing that Ten has all but reeled back. “Well, okay then. That’s the basic gist of it, I guess.” He scratches the back of his neck nervously. He hadn’t pushed that far, had he? It did sound like Ten was really into it, but he might just be doing this because he was curious and had too much pride to back off in between.

-

“I see.” Ten hears himself say. It’s a miracle his voice isn’t shaking like the rest of him is. His heart is threatening to jump out of his chest with how hard it is pumping, and he’s probably beet red. Fuck...

“You okay there?” He hears Jaehyun’s concerned voice, and snaps out of his thoughts. Jaehyun’s using his own voice again, the normal one that isn’t dripping with sex appeal.

“Oh. Yeah, sorry. Just zoned out a bit.” Ten reassures, although who he’s actually reassuring is questionable at this point.

“Oh, okay...” Jaehyun says, doubtful.

Another awkward pause falls upon them, until Ten clears his throat.

“Well that was insightful- in a good way! I mean.” Ten says as nonchalantly as possible.

“That’s… good. I was starting to think I was scaring you away.” Jaehyun admits uneasily, then Ten feels bad. Because this whole idea was his, but he’s making this awkward for everyone.

“I- yeah. It gave me a better idea of what you did. Sorry if it made things awkward.” He blurts out, embarrassed.

“Oh, well, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it. You know I’m always here to chat.” Jaehyun offers supportively.

To that, Ten doesn’t know what to say.

“I guess it’s time to sleep then, since it’s past midnight and all.” Jaehyun suggests, and Ten lets out an internal sigh of relief.

“Right! Yes. Sleep. I should do that.”

They pause again, then Ten chuckles nervously, and Jaehyun follows. “Alright, good night then.” He says.

“Night night, Ten.” Jaehyun replies softly.

The phone line clicks, and Ten squeezes his eyes shut. This is not good.

This is not good at all. He’s never expected to take things this far with Jaehyun. But then again, he was the one who asked how phone sex would go down typically. Like it wasn’t going to lead them to the topic of sex. And a demonstration, of all things. By god. What was he thinking?

His cheeks colour again, the phone slipping from his fingers to somewhere beside him on the pillow, completely forgotten. His other arm moves up to cover his eyes, and he lets out a deep sigh. To find that Jaehyun’s voice could be so… sexy- was unexpected. But then again, he’s never really thought about it. Has it always been like this? A deep timber, a dark rumble, like gold scotch that burns going down and lights your insides on fire?

He squeezes his eyes shut.

No. It’s going to be okay. This is just… harmless fun. Jaehyun was okay about this too, wasn’t he? He even offered to chat afterwards.

Ten groans. These thoughts are getting nowhere, and he really needs to sleep. But first, he eyes balefully downwards, he should probably take a shower to deal with a… thing.

The only saving grace is that Johnny’s already out, so no one heard him making all these embarrassing sounds… except for Jaehyun.

Letting out a massive sigh, he reaches for his bathrobe, and makes a beeline for the shower.

 


	5. Chapter 5

“Textbook” would be the word his coworkers use to describe how Ten worked today.

He completes his work meticulously, as per usual. But while he was previously known as the pink intern who flits and radiates an air that aims to please- today, he gave zero fucks. His team watches him warily, their own keyboards clicking far slower than normal, wondering if they’ll catch the moment where he breaks either into maniacal laughter, or crying, or both. They quietly start a betting pool at lunch break.

It's not that Ten isn’t aware- he internally rolls his eyes at his coworkers’ antics, but he has other things to worry about.

Like how the cold shower last night did nothing to curb the wet dream that followed, for example.

Because even though he's speeding through work as usual, his mind is completely preoccupied with Jaehyun; from his voice, to his laugh, to what happened last night… a memory he thought he could ignore and never think of again. But when he hears the voice in his dream, all warm and familiar and incredibly sexy, and wakes up popping a tent under his bed sheets, did he realize he should probably stop running away from his, er, _this_.

It’s not something he does often enough, sorting out his feelings. He’s never really needed to; his life has been simple and straightforward, his emotions have never been complicated.

When he was talking to Jaehyun about his dating history, he briefly wondered if he truly liked those girls, or if he was just a mildly hedonistic boy. Women are attractive, he supposes. They’re nice to look at. But so are men. Not that he’s seen much of either naked, per se, but in the porn he’s watched, the sinewy muscles and contortion of human bodies has him studying them as more of an art form than anything else.

In the end, everyone is a pile of muscles, fat and bones wrapped up in layers of skin. He’s more interested in what’s inside.

So maybe he’s not very sexually charged. He doesn’t think there’s a problem with that. Only sometimes, he feels left out when men his age act according to how the media dictates, and he doesn’t have much interest in pandering to societal norms. Hell, even when his friends talk about doing intimate things with their significant others, he tunes out, only making vague noises of acknowledgment when appropriate.

And that’s why, when what happened last night… happened, he has no idea what to do.

He doesn’t really get turned on watching porn. And yet Jaehyun’s voice, (not even like, physically) but his _voice_ was able to make him lose control, and give him painful morning wood.

He blushes lightly, ducking his head to pretend to look at a printed document, hoping this nosy coworkers didn’t pick up the sudden hitch of breath.

He’s been hesitant to put a label on himself. The concept of labels have never seemed useful or necessary. But now... he wonders. Is it the words? Is it hearing the words being spoken? Is it… Jaehyun?

And, what if it’s only Jaehyun? What does that make him? Them?

Ten freezes.

That’s….  _Okay, let’s take a step back_. If it’s the words, then reading a dirty novel would turn him on, right? And if it’s hearing the words being spoken… an audiobook? A sex-related podcast? Ten makes a mental note to find some online materials to test his theory out.

If it's the last option… well.

He bites the inside of his cheek, flipping the pages back and forth, before putting the file into the “completed” pile, and turns back to the excel documents on his computer.

If it’s the last option, he’ll have to ask a few more questions.

For example: should he call Jaehyun tonight? The mere thought makes him blush harder.

It feels weird not to- he... misses Jaehyun, and it would feel weird if he didn’t call. There’s no harm anyway, right? It’s not like Jaehyun was awkward after the call; he sounded put off, but was patient and understanding to the end.

Plus, it’s not like anything happened last night. In fact, Jaehyun does this for work, it’s probably nothing new to him.  _He's_ the one with his heart thrown out of all sorts of loops, windows, and towers-

_Wait, heart?_

Ten groans, ignoring the twisting feeling at his chest, and turns his attention to work with difficulty, slipping into the numbers and statistics.

It’s late afternoon when he finally takes his lunch break, letting out a frustrated sigh as he rests his head on his palms, rubbing his tired eyes. He couldnt focus at all.

The scratchy rotating wheel sounds giveaway his movement, and his coworkers peer over the desk plants inconspicuously, watching for a mad twitch of lips (or torrent of tears). When one meets his eye, he raises a brow and he immediately looks down, blushing.

Ten counts to ten, composing himself, before he stands up and makes his way to the cafeteria, ignoring the others’ curious glances.

He’s getting work done and has remained professional all day, damnit. Gossips can go to hell.

When he secures a burrito bowl and settles in a spot that overlooks the financial centre of the city, he pulls out his phone and sees a couple messages from the dance group chat. He permits a small smile, and clicks into it.

 **yuta  
**lemon

 **doyoung**  
Get over it  
It’s a challenge, a trend, it’ll be over soon and we'll be irrelevant

 **yuta  
**idgaf we gotta do lemon

 **taeyong**  
i second the lemon motion  
but also we can mash two songs up  
or have two performances like last year

 **yuta**  
last year was a shit show  
the crowd eyefucked Ten into oblivion  
but at least we won  
I'm down for two submissions

 **hansol  
**There are minors here, Yuta

 **mark  
**I think..

 **yuta  
**lemon

 **mark  
**Well.

 **yuta  
**LEMONNNNNNN

 **hansol  
**Yuta, shut up and let the boy speak

 **mark**  
I also like two submissions idea  
I think we’ll need to play with the layers a bit, if we go with lemon  
It’s too individualistic right now  
But it’s a good song (Y)  
And Jisung’s moves were great

 **jisung**  
Thanks  
Your footwork still needs practice tho  
:P

 **mark**  
You brat :@  
I’m never complimenting you again

 **donghyuk  
**revealing your age there, marksu

 **mark  
**Et tu, brutus?

 **yuta**  
HA  
LEMON WINS

Ten rolls his eyes. Until he and Hansol weigh in, there’s no telling where this would go. But he does agree with Mark who, despite his slight age, has the uncanny ability to see unlikely connections and predict trends.

 **you**  
let's talk about this tonight when everyone gets in the studio  
and Yuta, for the last time, there was no eyefucking

 **yuta  
**you keep telling yourself that, sweetcheeks

He snorts, putting away his phone and quickly finishes his lunch with a lighter heart. He’ll be seeing them in a handful of hours, there’s no rush to decide just yet.

-

No rush. Famous last words.

Work ends late, again. The class is halfway into an old choreography when he bursts in, having already diligently gone over the stretches and core exercises. Hansol is leading the class, keeping a sharp eye on everyone when Ten slips into the room, out of breath from the rush. Everyone saw, but they complete the dance without missing a beat minus a stray comment from, unsurprisingly, the one and only Yuta.

“Look who decides to show!” He exclaims loudly, and Ten flips him the bird through the mirror. Hansol snorts and quickly stops the music once the song ends, and other guys just about pounce on Ten, the sweat and too much skin contact making Ten’s skin crawl.

When he's fought the young ones off and twisted out of Yuta’s headlock, he bows his head, by way of explaining his tardiness. “Sorry,” he says, nodding at the team, but his eyes meet Taeyong, Yuta and Hansol. The latter smiles slight and shakes it off. Yuta snorts and makes a move to jump onto Ten's back again, only to be sidestepped and ending on the floor. He pouts and takes Ten's outstretched hands to pull himself back up.

“Has work been busy again?” Mark asks with a deepening frown. Jisung peeks from around him, throwing a lanky arm over his shoulders. On his other side, Donghyuk watches the exchange with an unreadable expression, then turns back to Ten with a concerned look.

Ten nods and shrugs it off. “Let's regroup. Are we going with one submission or two?”

The group eyes each other warily before Taeyong shouts, “Two!” and Yuta waves two fingers in the air. Ten snorts. He has a pretty good idea now, but for the sake of democracy, asks anyway.

“And how do you guys feel about last session? Do we want to spend a bit more time on song selections? Or- don’t interrupt me Yuta-” Yuta scowls and drops his waving hands, “do you think we are comfortable enough to make make a decision?”

Yuta snorts, crossing his arms haughtily. Taeyong calmly walks to the speakers with his phone out, looking for the music. Ten meets Hansol’s eye and the older man shrugs, which means Ten’s right- Yuta’s already managed to convince everyone before he got there.

Mark smiles slightly and nudges his shoulder. “You already know.” He says, eyes sparkling.

Ten chuckles and nods at Yuta, who is still pouting despite getting what he wants. When Yuta hypes it up so much that even Mark gets excited, it’s probably best to move along. “Alright, we can figure the second song out later. Let’s get it.”

And so they practice for a gruelling three hours; taking water breaks in between.

Ten leads with the choreography, Hansol and Taeyong by his side giving constructive input on form, layers, storytelling, and the likes. Yuta, Doyoung, Mark, Donghyuk and Jisung are the visual cues, following the choreography with cut-throat precision. From time to time, when they’re feeling out a specific move, Jisung makes a comment that allows for a smoother flow and they eagerly give it a shot, building the choreography as they go.

It’s 10:00 pm when Ten calls it a night. He’s sweating buckets, his towels are soaked through and his water bottle is emptied for the third time that night. He takes a look around and sees everyone else in a similar state of exhaustion and despite it, their eyes are bright as ever, smiles wide as they practice the moves on their own, especially Jisung, Doyoung and Mark who are watching Taeyong and Donghyuk’s example.

He chuckles and picks up his pack to shower and change before going home, and belatedly realizes that for almost three hours, his mind’s had an uninterrupted break from thoughts of Jaehyun, which is apparently a record, or something noteworthy, and he shakes his head at himself. He really needs to get it together.

He’s so distracted he misses the shadow at the corner of his eye, not knowing what hit him until he feels Yuta’s weight almost knocking him off his tired legs.

“You thought you could escape!” Yuta exclaims with glee, bouncing up and down and choking Ten with his arms wrapped around the other’s neck/chest. Ten makes a loud unhappy noise and attempts to slip away again, and Yuta takes this opportunity to blow a raspberry on Ten’s neck. There isn’t much excess skin to work with, but Ten flinches- like being tickled, and screeches loudly.

Hansol appears behind them and quickly extricates Yuta off Ten’s exhausted body with a good-natured smile.

“If you don’t stop doing that I will literally die before we perform. What the shit, Yuta.” Ten growls as he shoots Yuta a dark glare. Its intensity makes most people shrink back in fear, but Yuta’s used to it and brushes it off like an inconvenient insect, then loops his arm around Ten’s waist.

“Don’t worry about it.” Yuta comments nonchalantly, still bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Our choreo is sick and everyone will eyefuck you again and we will  _win_. I  _know_ it.” He gushes on, with aggressive sparkles in his eyes.

Hansol pulls Yuta away and smacks the back of his neck lightly. “Did you forget how hard it was to get Ten to dance with us again? Stop giving him reasons to change his mind.” He chides lightly.

Yuta pouts and makes a long whining sound from the back of his throat. “You’re no fun.” He complains, then bounces away to join the younger kids back in the practice room.

“How you manage to keep up with his energy is beyond me.” Ten says lightly, plucking the shampoo and body wash from his bag before heading into the shower stall.

He hears Hansol snort, but no response is forthcoming, so he starts his shower.

Before Ten knows it, it’s 10:42 pm when he gets home. The others invited him out to a late dinner, but he's honestly too tired.

Even then, he goes about his ritual- shoes lined up by the doors, clothes in the hamper, checking the sink for dirty dishes, before going to his room and settling on his bed.

It's 10:49 pm… he's trying. He's trying to justify the text. His finger hovers above the send button-

-

10:50 PM  
Hey, are you free to chat?

The phone in Jaehyun’s hands feels like the only weight that's holding him down from floating away. He chews on his bottom lip nervously as he looks at his phone, at his text.

Contrary to what he said, he doesn't make a habit of getting off with his clients. A lot of them have interesting kinks that they are to shy to share with their partners. Kinks he's good at acting out, but not interested in. In fact, he doesn't feel that turned on most of the time.

But with Ten, he feels in control of the situation, and spins it in way that's closer to his preference… and he actually likes it.

So he's been distracted the whole day. Both classes had come and gone in a blur, notes were hardly written. He sighs, low and soft. He knows he shouldn't be personally involved, but they’ve already crossed that bridge when he called Ten last night. Hell, they’ve toed around the foot of the bridge when they exchanged numbers.

It’ll end soon.

And yet, he’s not sure if that’s what he wants.  _But what does he want?_

He wants to keep talking to Ten. Their conversations are fun, mentally stimulating, and helps to unpack the day’s events. It’s something he looks forward to when the day is over simply because he doesn’t have to cater to another person’s needs, he can spend that time on himself- with homework, with relaxing, with the simple enjoyment of talking to someone he likes. And he gets paid for it, which is great.

Objectively, it’s a great way to wrap up a long day.

Subjectively… he  _really_ likes Ten.

It came out during last night and, when he said it, he felt an alarming clarity like he finally understands. Sicheng was right. He wants this, wants to do something, make something out of it.

The question is: what does Ten want out of this? He's been very clear about how he feels about socializing, how he doesn't expect phone sex, how he's not interested in anyone-

Well, until last night.

So the only explanation is that Ten is experimenting under the guise of disinterest.

And… Jaehyun is okay with fulfilling that.

He likes Ten  _that_ much, Christ.

Jaehyun curls over his desk and folds his arms under his head as cushion, phone forgotten somewhere to the side of his face. He lets out a quiet sigh.

It vibrates twice after a minute.

10:52 PM  
Yes.  
Can I call now?

Jaehyun’s eyes widen, hands fumbling and his phone falls and clatters on his desk. He quickly picks it up and types a swift  _Yes_ , heart pounding loudly in his chest. His phone rings a moment later.

“Hey?” He speaks tentatively.

“Hey. Jaehyun?”

“Hey! Um. How are you?”

“I’m alright, thanks. Yourself?”

“I’m good,” And because this exchange sounds too polite and cookie cutter, he adds, “Better now that I’m talking to you.”

 _Oh my god what am I saying?_ Jaehyun bites back a chuckle of disbelief. The excitement bursting from his chest is decidedly unwelcome, and he tries to tamp it down.

“Oh? Well. Um. I feel the same way too.” Comes Ten’s shy admission, which shocks Jaehyun into silence. It takes him a second longer to respond, a teasing tilt already pulling at his mouth.

“Really, now?”

Ten responds with an exasperated sigh, and Jaehyun laughs, all nervous pretense dissipating.

“How was your day?” He asks.

“Um. It was busy. Work was kind of boring, I had a lot to do and was late for dance class, my team dog-piled on me as punishment.” Ten says, tone fond and exasperated. Jaehyun hears some rustling and imagines Ten snuggling into his bedsheets, and he blushes and coughs discreetly.

“That sounds like a good time.” Jaehyun says.

“Contrary, they’re all skin and bones, and it  _does not_ feel good to be buried underneath a pile of skin and bones.” Ten says, scrunching his nose up and he slides a little lower, so his head rests on the pillow. He pulls the covers higher, convincing himself that the shiver is from the cold, and not Jaehyun’s chuckles.

“I’ll take your word for it. How’s the practice going?” Jaehyun says.

“Going well. We’ve decided to go with two songs, and we covered one today.” Ten smiles, feeling rather proud. “The kids worked hard.”

“‘Kids?’” Jaehyun asks, curious.

“Oh. Our team is pretty young- I’m the second oldest, and our youngest is only 15 this year. We used to practice and see each other every day for hours on end, and it became a habit of mine to… take care of them like family.” Ten remembers with a fond smile. “There was an instance where I was at a convenience store when I bumped into the youngest, and he shot me puppy eyes and asked me to buy him Pringles. So… I buckled. Next thing I knew, the others trap me into treating them to food whenever possible, and the names ‘mom’ and ‘kids’ stuck.”

Jaehyun bites back a chuckle. “ _‘Mom’_?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” Ten huffs. He’s pretty sure he gives off a mom vibe, but he’s not about to admit that out loud.

“Maybe you give off a mom vibe.” Jaehyun supplies teasingly.

Ten rolls his eyes, voice deadpan. “... Do I really? Do you think I do?”

Jaehyun chuckles. “There was that one time my voice sounded raspy, and you thought I got caught in the storm outside and sounded very worried,” He pauses, then adds, “mom.”

“Don’t you dare. I’m not a mom to you.” Ten says, sounding alarmed, and Jaehyun chuckles.

“Then what are you to me?” He asks teasingly. Ten scoffs.

“Haven’t we already established this? Phone sex friend.” He says.

“Ah. Of course. How could I have forgotten,” says Jaehyun wryly.

“Don’t sass me. This is a valuable relationship. In fact, it’s probably really rare- no one befriends a phone sex operator in this day and age. You got lucky with me.” The more he embellishes, the wider the grin grows on Ten’s face.

“Uh huh. I’m so lucky.” Jaehyun deadpans.

Ten chuckles. “Good. Now that we’ve established that, tell me about your day.”

Jaehyun smiles wryly. “It was busy. I had three classes in the morning,”  _None of which I could focus on,_ Jaehyun wanted to add, but decides against. “Then I ran a few errands; cleaned the room, did my laundry, and now, talking to you.”

“Errands?”

“Getting groceries, dropping off a paycheck at the bank, meeting up with the friend from last night to make sure he’s not dead.” Jaehyun tattles. Ten frowns.

“The one who tried to kiss you?’ He asks. Jaehyun raises a brow.

“Yeah.” He says, and hears Ten snort.

“Who knew? You could be a good friend after all.” Ten says lightly, ignoring- what was that,  _jealousy?_ Christ he needs to get his shit together.

“You would know, since we’re phone sex friends and all.” Jaehyun smirks at his tone. And since there’s no better time to broach the topic, he pushes on. “I may not be a mom, but I do take good care of my  _friends_. Last night was pretty good, no?”

“Ah. Well. It was okay.” Ten replies evasively, pushing down the feeling. His jealousy really has no place here.

“Only okay?” Jaehyun exclaims, sounding affronted.

“Yeah, I mean, it wasn’t that great or anything.” Ten replies.

“Hey, let’s keep the compliments mutual here. I know you  _liked_ it.” Jaehyun says in almost a warning tone.

“There’s no written rule. Also, nothing really happened.” He snaps, and Jaehyun snorts.

“Only because you stopped me. You know I would’ve been able to carry it out  _in full_  if I knew you’d be down for it.” Jaehyun retorts.

“Please.” Ten says, unimpressed.

“I’ve said this before, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.” Jaehyun says, and Ten snorts in response.

“Pff. I’d like to see you try.” He says, then realizes a moment later the words coming out of his mouth and freezes.

Jaehyun blinks, then a smirk slowly spreads on his lips. “Is that permission?” His voice dips lower, already using  _that_ voice. Ten shivers.

“No!” He says, but instead of sounding assertive, it comes out closer to a yelp.

“Are you sure?” Jaehyun says, already smirking.

Ten flushes bright pink and stutters over his next words. “Yes. No. Yes. Fuck. I don’t know anymore.”

At this point, Jaehyun is convinced he’s right. Ten wants to experiment and Jaehyun… well, he’s not going to pass up this chance, now that he knows that he wants this with Ten.

He hums quietly. “You can stop at any time. You already know this.” He gently reminds the other man. “Hey, talk to me. What’s up?”

Ten bites his lip, a list of answers flood into the tip of his tongue.  _I didn’t expect this? What would this make us? I haven’t even had the time to conduct any experiments- the audiobooks and podcasts…_ but he also feels a rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins, and it’s… new. Exhilarating. It’s almost like he’s about to go on a stage for a dance performance, but ten times more nerve-wracking.

Finally, “Nothing, it's just...” he starts, before he knows it, this comes out: “I… yes. That’s permission.”

Jaehyun lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, and his face breaks into a wide grin. “You’re sure?”

“Yes,” Ten says, sounding braver than he feels. Little does he know, Jaehyun feels a similar nervousness, like his heart feels like it's about to burst out from inside his chest.

“Then… why don’t you tell me about yourself? How do you like it?” Jaehyun says.

The blush on Ten’s cheeks spread lower with each word Jaehyun says in  _that voice_ , and he takes a moment before snapping back. “Huh? Like what?”

“Sex. Do you have any inclinations or any preference? Which categories do you click into on porn sites?” says Jaehyun.

Oh. “Um-...”

“I won’t judge.” Jaehyun reassures.

Ten’s nervousness pushes him up from his inclined position in bed. “I don’t… watch a lot of porn- it doesn’t do much for me. I usually just… close my eyes and feel, most of the time. I-I mean, it’s not like I do it all that often, just. Um. Porn doesn’t really turn… me on…”

“Oh. Then tentacles are not your thing, either, huh?” Jaehyun asks teasingly.

“I…don’t think so?” Ten replies. And when Jaehyun doesn’t respond immediately, he feels flustered again. “It’s just-”

“You haven’t much experience, right?” Jaehyun says.

It feels like he’s completely opening up to Jaehyun, and for a moment, Ten feels very vulnerable, like an open book.  _But Jaehyun is someone he can trust_ , a voice in his head reasons- or maybe it’s a gut feeling. He somehow finds the courage and forges on. “Yeah. I suppose. I mean, what happened last night was…”

“Hm?”

“I liked it.”

Jaehyun makes a low, contemplative sound that sends shivers down Ten’s spine. “So let's go in that direction. There’s something I’d like to try out, if that’s okay.”

“What is it?” Ten asks curiously.

“A bit of role-playing,” And before Ten can voice his doubt, Jaehyun continues. “It won’t be too much, and if it doesn’t float your boat, we can try something else.”

After a pause, Ten says, “Okay, I trust you.”

Jaehyun blushes at the openness in Ten's tone, and tamps down the warmth spreading from his chest. This isn’t about feelings, it’s about a safe place to experiment.

He clears his throat and resumes character. “I’d ask about what you’re wearing, but I think it’d be best if we started off wearing as little as possible. I want you to take off all of your clothes.”

Ten pauses mid-roll onto his side, and his entire body turns red as a tomato. “E-excuse me?!”

“You heard me. Take off your clothes. And if you have lube handy, bring it with you to bed. Use headphones if you aren’t already.” Jaehyun says- no, more like commands and unexpectedly, Ten finds himself getting turned on.

“Okay…” he trails, as he sits up and sheds his clothes, then scrummages through his side table to find a pack of lube. Meanwhile, Jaehyun takes off his t-shirt and slides into bed quietly too.

“Are you done?”

“Yes.”

“Now, I want you kneel on your bed, back straight, and hold your hands together, behind your back. Then, close your eyes.”

Ten breathily complies, climbing clumsily onto his bed and kneels, hands behind his back, and squeezes his eyes shut. “I’ve closed my eyes.” He half whispers, half speaks softly. He hears a soft sigh and shivers. It sounds like Jaehyun is right behind him, the soft breathing like phantom pain, brushing against the crook of his neck.

“Imagine me behind you, watching your every move, admiring how good you look from the back. I’ll lay butterfly kisses across your back, ending each with a gentle lick, because I want to taste every bit of you. Then I’ll press open-mouthed kisses on your shoulders, taking my time, until I reach the crook of your right neck and shoulder." There is a well-meaning pause. "I bet you’re sensitive there, aren’t you?”

Ten, who unconsciously tilts his head left, would have answered that he didn’t know, but then he remembers Yuta blowing raspberries there and he groans quietly. “I think I am.”

Jaehyun hears the slight waver in Ten’s voice, and makes a sound of appreciation; it rumbles over the earphones through Ten’s body, and his eyes open slightly, seeing only the blankness of his wall.

Jaehyun continues. “Good. Because I’d love nothing more than to suck on the skin there, swirl and bite and tease you, while my hands press into your hips, holding you there. I want to mark you. Would you let me?”

Ten’s hip twitches as he imagines this. “Yes.” He whispers, almost hissing the word out. “I think I’d lov- like that.” He quickly corrects himself.

Jaehyun makes a teasing sound, low and warm. “It’s okay to love this, Ten. After all, I want you to feel good. You have no idea how turned on I am right now, imagining you in that position, wanting to press myself behind you but unable to.”

Ten’s eyes shoot open and widen. A sharp hitch of breath gave his surprise away. “Oh. Um. You... like this?”

“Of course. Don’t you know how sexy your voice is? Has no one ever told you?” Jaehyun says.

“No...”

“Let’s keep it that way,” Jaehyun interrupts quickly. “I’m not fond of the idea of other people knowing how you sound when you’re like this, kneeling on your bed, hard and waiting.”

“A-ah.” Ten stumbles on the monosyllabic reply, which he would been mortified with normally but now he’s too turned on to care. “What am I waiting for?”

“You’ll see.” Jaehyun answers. “I’ll trail fingertips of my right hand upwards, drawing patterns and feeling your body shiver underneath… then I would press my palm on your chest. I want to feel your heartbeat racing, reacting to what I’m doing to you,”

“My other hand would draw closer to your tummy, settling just above your cock, pressing warmth there. I want to feel every tingle, every twitch. I’ll press myself closer behind you- press another kiss on your neck, then I’ll lick the spot gently before biting. My right hand would go back down to your nipples, and draw circles around the areolas. Are you sensitive there?”

Ten cracks an eye open, belatedly realizing that he’s been blindly following Jaehyun’s voice, his instructions, and his body is shivering softly, goosebumps blooming over his skin. “Yeah, I think I am.” He answers in a hushed tone.

Jaehyun hums teasingly, a smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. “I'll watch your face contort into as look of pleasure as I touch you… my hand would trail lower and lower, until I reach the base of your cock…”

As Jaehyun trails off, Ten finds his hand pushing against his pelvis, imagining Jaehyun’s hand- perhaps larger and rougher, there, brushing at the sensitive skin there. He hisses and bites back a groan, squeezing his eyes shut again.

“I’ll quickly reach for the lube, squeeze some onto my hands, warm it up, before sliding one down your pelvis to reach around the base of your cock again… I bet you’re growing all big and stiff for me, aren’t you?” Jaehyun says, voice low and rough as it reverberates through Ten’s body.

Ten doesn’t deny it, but he does make a soft noise of desperate keening like,  _Do something already._

“Ah, so impatient.” Jaehyun tuts. “Just for that, I’ll remove my hand from your cock and push you down to the bed, tilt your head sideways, and meet your eyes as I draw a line past your entrance, down your balls and underside of your cock. My fingertip traces a circle around your head as my thumb gently massages the bottom.”

Ten is breathing low and deep now, trying to control how turned on he is. His mind is in a haze, eyes half-lidded, sight blurry; he’s getting lost in the intense pleasure that he’s feeling, that he’s never felt before. Jaehyun must’ve heard his breathing has changed, because he decides to take things a notch up.

“I’ll slowly pump up and down your cock with my left hand, collecting the pre-cum that’s leaking from your tip with my thumb, tasting it, before pressing a little deeper at your hole. I’ll angle your hips with my right hand, exposing you at your bent position. I want your cock hard and twitching. I want your thighs shivering as I tease and push a little deeper each time.”

Ten bites his lip hard. “Fuck. It feels... really good.”

Jaehyun almost growls. “You make such a pretty picture, bent over with your hand wrapped around your cock, thick and needy and whimpering.”

Ten groans and feels his hardness pulse against his palm. His body is doubled over, shoulders straining at the angle, but the discomfort is forgotten with Jaehyun asks, “How do you want this? Tell me.”

It takes a moment for Ten to steady his shaky breathing, and he hopes he doesn’t sound as desperate as he feels. “I want- I want you. I don’t know how. I just want you.”

Jaehyun smirks fully now.

“You’ve liked everything so far?” He asks.

“Are you really asking that question right now? Yes.” Ten says, with an edge of impatience. Jaehyun bites back a chuckle.

“Do you trust me?” He asks.

“God damnit. Yes.” Ten snaps.

“Okay. Then I want you to put some lube with your other hand and reach behind to play with your balls. Keep the hand tight on your cock at the base for now.”

Ten’s heart beats faster now, following the instructions with reproachfulness. “Then?”

“Tighten your kegel muscles, like you’re pushing, as you feel my thumb brush against your entrance. I won’t enter, but I want you to feel the sensitivity.”

Ten tries it, and any possibility of reservation goes out the window. Sparks of pleasure buzz under his skin, and his hand instinctively move upwards-

“Towards the tip. I’ll twist at the end and squeezed there again before going back down. I’d love to do more, but I want to see you when you come all over yourself.”

It’s new. It’s new and good and so. Fuck. So fucking  _pleasurable_. The nerves under Ten’s skin are buzzing, his mind is going blank and his thighs start to shake.

Right now, there’s nothing else save for the agonizing brush against his puckered flesh. He pushes back, wanting more, angling more, needing more.

“Please,” he moans.

“... you make the sexiest sounds like this.” Jaehyun whispers. “Fuck, I want you so badly too, Ten. I want your moans. I want to feel your body against mine, teasing your sensitive hole with quick thrusts, and feel you rocking back-”

Ten pushes back against his finger, still teasing the sensitive ring of muscles, before snapping his hips forward, the tip brushing against the mattress, creating another layer of sensitive pleasure.

“I want to feel your pushing back becoming more erratic. I want these senses to overwhelm you. I want to squeeze and jerk you off hard.”

Ten whines lowly, and the words come pouring out.

“Fuck. Please. Touch me. I can’t- I can’t. Fuck. I want you so bad,  _please_.” And then he’s coming, vision blurring as he spills over his fist, streaks of white on his bedding cover.

His head is swimming, knees weak, his mind so far gone that it took him a second to register the jagged breathing through the headphones. Then, he realizes Jaehyun is almost there too. For a moment, everything happens in slow motion. Their breathing, the pulse he feels in his ears. And the words slip out…

“Come for me, Jae.”

And Jaehyun does, his hips pressing up into his fist as he dirties his stomach, toes curling, breath coming out in uneven shudders.

Ten hears this and smiles softly. Heat floods into his body, an immediate release of oxytocin and endorphins bringing him so high it is incomparable, even to dance performance. He stares unblinking at the ceiling for a long moment, the sounds filling him with a kind of dread and pleasure, then revelation and-

“Hey, you okay?”

The full weight of what happened comes crashing down on his senses. His breathing comes out in short gasps. A cold sensation rushes in from his fingers and toes to his heart, and he feels frozen on the spot.

“Ten? Hello? What’s wrong?”

Fuck.  _Fuck fuck fuck_.

A few more seconds pass before Ten finds his voice, throat dry and scratchy.

“Hey. Yeah, I’m here.” He tries for nonchalance, but it’s clear to both of them that it’s a piss poor attempt. Still, Jaehyun tries to keep talking.

“Oh. I see.” Jaehyun shuffles around for a bit. “Then… how are you?”

“I’m fine.” He replies coldly.  _This is not- how did this happen. What does this even mean?_

Fuck. Ten sits up on his bed, pushing his hair back and seconds away from making a strangled noise of frustration. Even the sound of Jaehyun’s voice… no. Fuck. It’s too loud. He takes out the right earphone.

“Ah. Well. How did you-” Jaehyun starts, but Ten’s not having it.

“Jaehyun.” He interrupts.

“...Yes?” Comes the hesitant reply. Ten takes a breath, and continues.

“It’s getting late. I should go to sleep.” He says.

As the words flow out of his mouth, he feels, mentally and around his heart, walls building up again. Gaining back the control he so thoroughly lost only minutes ago. Protection. Safety.

Jaehyun pauses, feeling an acute sense of fear settle in his bones. No. “Wait-”

Ten squeezes his eyes shut, his hand gripping his knee so hard it’s starting to hurt. “Sorry, I have-”

But Jaehyun can’t. He’s not about to let this go without talking about it. This wasn’t what he wanted- “Don’t do this, Ten. Please. Talk to me.”

Then there is a long pause.

Finally, “I have to go. Bye.” Ten says through exhale, and hangs up.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

In hindsight, he should’ve seen it coming.

The work. The dance. The studying during brief moments of calm between the two. And how ridiculously hard it is to fall asleep, even when your body and mind are screaming for rest.

Because the night after  _that_ happened when he’s tucked in bed, he closes his eyes and hears a low voice whispering heedy words and sees molten eyes and pink lips pulled into a teasing smirk, and then he slams up, wide awake, with adrenaline and unbridled pleasure coursing through his veins and pooling at his lower abdomen...

So he pushes himself harder, doing everything so that when he comes home, he’ll only collapse in boneless exhaustion.

No one really noticed at first, mostly because Ten gets like that a lot. His eyes burn with intensity, a kind of passion that promises no less than 100%. He gives as much as he’s got. Only one day, he pushes too hard, his mind’s elsewhere, and the inevitable happens.

He’s executing a fall-and-twisting-up dance move and lands in a wrong angle. A pain shoots up his arm and into his shoulders and he bites down a cry, knowing it would alarm the kids. After catching his pained look through the mirror, Hansol and Yuta immediately rush him to the hospital and Yuta informs his mother. She speeds to the hospital after seeing her last patient, paperwork hastily shoved into a big briefcase.

The scan says that Ten fractured a clavicle. It’s small and will heal on its own in 4 to 8 weeks, but the doctor puts his arm in a sling to prevent further movement, prescribes him with antibiotics and painkillers, and says with his apologetic but firm eyes,  _there will be more dancing until this heals._

It’s the Sunday and mere days before the competition.

Ten is silent on the ride home. His mother is worried, but it’s not the first time he broke something during dance. In the ride, she asks if he’ll be okay on his own, if he wants to stay at home for at least the next week, but he declines. It’ll be troublesome when driving and maybe taking a shower, but he’s done it before. It’s more so that he’ll be missing the competition that’s pissing him off.

And the team. They're understandably shocked. Mark even offered to take the kids to the hospital that night but Ten told them no, stay put, and wait for him to come back.

Except he didn't go back.

In the end, Hansol broke the news as gently as it could, but the damage is done. No amount of cajoling and light-hearted jokes in the chat (“At least it wasn't a leg! Haha”, “Ten stop, it’s not funny.”, “Mark probably laughed…”, “Mark laughs at everything.”) could lift their spirits. So the next day- a Monday, after another late day because of work (his efficiency decreased by 28% without one arm, much as he loathe to admit), Ten waits by the studio door for the music to pause before sliding in with a sheepish grin.

There would've been dog piling if everyone didn't look at his heavily bundled arm with worry and displeasure. Ten simply lifts his eyebrow and opens the other arm with a small smile, and everyone rushes in to crush what's left of his bones, Yuta leading the pack.

He and Hansol discussed this last night as they were going to the hospital, Yuta steering the wheel with a death grip and clenched jaw. Hansol has always been a great dancer and a level-headed leader. The studio grew sustainably and very quickly under his management that he had to convince Ten to take up passive-instructing so he could focus on the business.

Ten pets the back of Yuta head with his unbroken hand, and tells Hansol to lead the team to victory.

For the next few days, Ten pitches himself into work and attends every dance class for choreography critique and moral support. His eagle eyes catch every stumble and fall, and shouts worry-laced suggestions on what to watch out for at the next replay. He studies for the CFA on the side, and heeds to the doctor’s (and his mother’s) words of no dancing.

It’s annoying, but it can’t be helped.

The second choreography with the song All the Stars is designed under these circumstances and becomes an even  _bigger_ presence than the first. Hansol is a great leader, pushing limits and becomes even more relentless, affirmed with much whining from the younger kids. Ten grins at that.

Being on the sidelines from the beginning gives him more ideas on how to make the stage more exciting, the distance provides perspective and space for retrospect.

And so, as he watches his team practice, a mere 24 hours before the performance, he reflects.

 _Breathe in, three, four._  
_Breathe out, seven, eight._

...

He’s ignored this for days, today marks the thirteenth.

He’s not good at dealing with feelings, or figuring out what he wants. But this one is kinda hard to miss.

He likes Jaehyun.

It became clear when he felt the absolute unrestrained satisfaction from hearing Jaehyun come, and that  _he_ had had a (pardon the pun) helping hand with that; the evidence stacks up against him like a blaring red danger sign.

And… his reaction.

Not that he’d ever admit this, but he might have overreacted a little… but only because it was new! Foreign. Different. It was nothing like he expected, and everything he wanted.

So. That’s a thing.  _(Holy shit-)_

He takes a few deep breaths, and squeezes his eyes shut.

The problem that’s holding him from contacting the other is...

Ten’s just like Jaehyun’s other clients, except he didn’t even pay for the “service”. It’s like he somehow took advantage of Jaehyun, asking for his phone number, then calling and making Jaehyun… work? On his time off, no less.

In short, he feels like he's manipulated Jaehyun.

No matter how he sees this, it’s business as usual for Jaehyun. He’s so used to doing it that it’s what he does with Ten, for Ten. In some kind of twisted logic, it makes sense. He’s always been understanding and supportive, always nudging Ten to try new things. And he’s never said no.

It’s like Jaehyun allowed himself to be used in Ten’s own experiment.

Ten inhales sharply. Apologizing is probably up there with the other things he doesn't normally do. Nor does he explain himself to just anyone. But he knows he should. He groans, rubbing his tired eyes.

In front of him, NCT Studio finishes their second number, and he shakes his head to clear it before moving from the edge of the room to greet the kids.

“How are we?” Mark asks anxiously, Jisung and Donghyuk hovering back. Behind them, Hansol has Taeyong and Doyoung to the side to discuss some final stage adjustments.

“Impeccable.” Ten says, thoughts safely buried. “Even though I know I say to never dance for awards, I’ll be damned if we don’t win something.” He smiles proudly.

The confidence catches the younger kids off guard, and they look at each other before Mark says in a quiet voice, “Still, wish you coulda dance with us.”

Ten shakes his head. “Don’t, Mark. You guys have come a long way. You don’t need a leader. You’re killing the choreos, all of you. It’s going to be amazing and you guys will be great, as you are now.” Ten says fiercely. He pulls Mark into a tight hug, the younger wrapping his arms around him as well- careful to not touch the bandages. Seeing this, Jisung and Donghyuk drop all guard and join the hug.

“Alright.” He gently pushes Mark off. “Go and practice some more. Get everything right, but most of all, enjoy it. You guys are too young for this kind of stress.” He pets Mark’s shoulder supportively before stepping back, watching the two kids collect a mopey Mark to usher him back.

Turning to briefly step out of the room, Ten lets his fierce leader facade slip just a bit-  _of course_ he wants to be on the stage with them-

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Yuta asks behind him, wrapping his arms loosely around Ten’s waist.

“Been better.” Ten answers. Something about his tone makes Yuta frown and pulls him closer.

They don't say anything, and let the noise around them mellow out for a moment. Finally, Ten turns around and meets Yuta’s eyes with a small smile. Yuta studies him for a moment, before carefully burying his face in the crook of Ten’s neck, “You’re distracted, aren’t you?”

Ten snorts, but doesn’t move away. “I’m fine.”

Yuta scrunches his nose. “Fine isn’t breaking your shoulder.”

“-clavicle.” Ten corrects.

“Clavicle.” Yuta waves it off. “Point is, you’re going to injure yourself more seriously if this goes on. I was watching you that night. You danced powerfully, but you were distracted. You don’t get that look even when you’re tired, and I’ve seen you tired.”

Ten doesn’t know what to say, and finds he can’t break away from Yuta’s intense stare.

But Yuta looks away first. “You don’t have to explain yourself, I know you like to be independent. Just- I’m here if you want to talk.”

The guilt eats inside of Ten. It’s not like that. He likes Yuta- he's a great sounding board, the sassiest cheerleader; he's known him for almost a decade, and probably the closest he has to a best friend forever.

His hand brushes against Yuta’s wrist and smiles softly as he meets the other’s eyes. “We can talk after the competition. No holding back, I promise.”

Yuta’s face breaks into a bright grin. He envelops Ten’s frame into a bone-crushing hug, clavicle be damned.

“YUTA!”

“Gotta go before Hansol blows a vein.” Yuta blows a kiss to Ten, then bumbles back to stage centre, Taeyong and Doyoung relaying the tips Hansol has for them in excited chatter. Hansol meets Ten’s eyes briefly, eyebrow cocked. Ten smiles and shakes his head, and Hansol nods with a smile of his own, then turns to his team again.

The practice continues. And Ten opens up to the next section of the textbook he’s been neglecting for the better half of an hour.

 _Sigh_. When will there be be a pill that once ingested, knowledge magically presents itself?

-

The competition comes and goes.

He congratulates his group with the widest smile and they all jump into his arms with tears in their eyes, faces bright and sad. “What are you even crying about. You guys were amazing!” He laughs.

NCT lands second place, mere points from the first- Seventeen, whose 13 member group befuddles everyone (their team members are always on the verge of growling when they explain themselves), but that night, they’re too happy to be annoyed.

Ten knows a couple of them and he begrudgingly admits- these boys have the cleanest choreography for such a large number, and if NCT were to lose, Seventeen would be the most deserving opponent to lose to.

Hansol takes the team out for dinner- even lets the kids to pick the location. Their parents shoot warning glances at them to behave, nods friendly smiles at the ever-responsible Doyoung and Hansol, and off they go to celebrate their win.

They end up at the Korean Chinese restaurant Ten, Yuta and Hansol frequent, inhaling bowls of jajjangmyeon, jjampong, sweet and sour pork, and creamy garlic shrimp. A rightful feast, for such hardworking kids.

When they’re sent home with Doyoung and Taeyong, Yuta, Hansol, and Ten go back to close up the studio, Hansol picks up a bottle of makgeolli and two bottles of soju on the way out- (“To sip on.” He shrugs, a dopey half-smile on his face.) Yuta eyes the bottles warily but doesn’t say anything, and Ten picks up some black hair dye because Yuta promises to help fix his hair.

A while later, Ten looks at his reflection in the mirror doubtfully. His cheeks are flushed and eyes are unfocused because they  _had_ been drinking (even though he’s on his last day of antibiotics and shouldn’t technically be drinking), but… his hair is finally back to normal. The roots were starting to grow out a lot, and it just looked terrible. Not to mention, he’s had enough of the open ogles from his co-workers and their comments when they think he’s out of earshot.

He’s used to name-calling his whole life, mostly by his sister, but “pink pipsqueak” reaches a new low and he doesn’t need that kind of attention. It’s why he called Jaehyun to begin with-

 _Stop_.

_Don't go there._

He takes a breath and moves to the living room.

Hansol is lounging on the couch in the living area of his and Yuta’s shared apartment. It’s cluttered and dust bunnies the size of Ten’s palm are tucked behind the couch, but he’s not about to be the rude guest. He does, however, toe around the couch and plop on the red bean bag chair- something Yuta “needed” from first year and begged Ten to pitch in. He lets out a long, tired sigh when his body comes in contact with the soft fabric. Beside him, Hanson sniffs.

“How are you feeling?” Ten asks.

Hansol sneaks a look from the corner of his eye, before smiling ruefully. He takes a long swig of the soju before placing it between Ten’s feet.

“Like shit, to be honest. I thought we’d win. I’d forgotten how formidable our opponents can be.” He mutters, eyes glossy. “I don’t regret it. Our team was great, they’ve pushed and grown so much. I just feel like I failed them.”

Ten snorts and cradles his arm closer before uncorking the bottle of soju and taking a mouthful. The chilled alcohol hits him slowly and he sinks back into the bean bag.

“You aren't a bad leader.” Ten smirks. “Sometimes I wish you were still one. At least you don't miss classes like I do.” A moment later, a towel slaps wetly across his drunk ass face.

“I swear to god you two, if this becomes a pity party I'm going to kick both of you to oblivion and back.” Yuta complains loudly. “What the hell, are you guys drunk?”

Hansol cracks an eye to look at Yuta, whose hands are propped on his towel-clad waist (he’d just taken a shower), expression unimpressed. “I'd be sleeping already if I really was drunk.”

Ten hums lowly and closes his eyes. “That sounds nice. I'm exhausted.”

Yuta throws his arms in the air like _I give up_ and turns tail to look for clothes. “No talks of self-deprecation in this house, you hear me!” His voice rings from around the corner.

Ten makes a half-hearted sound of acknowledgment and Hansol snorts in reply.

It’s quiet for a moment, before some shuffling is heard beside Ten, and he feels a poke on his cheek.

“Hey you. Spill.”

Ten slowly turns and peels an eye open at Yuta. “You wanna talk now?”

Yuta shoves Hansol to the far side of the couch, he himself curled into a ball near Ten. “You said after the competition. So spill.”

He keeps poking at Ten’s cheek until finally Ten makes a sound of annoyance and sits up again.

“Okay, okay! Fine. I’ll. Whoa-” A momentary dizziness hits Ten and he groans and slumps back onto the bean bag. “Okay. I’ll talk.”

“Are you okay…” Yuta asks worriedly.

Ten rubs his temples with a low groan. “Yeah... just tired, I guess.”

Yuta hums and brushes Ten’s black locks from his forehead. On the couch, Hansol’s all but fallen asleep.

“This was actually all because of you, you know.” Ten mutters. When Yuta’s brows furrow but he says nothing, he continues. “The gay sex hotline number you gave me? I’ve been… calling it.”

Yuta makes a snorting sound- almost like biting back a laugh. And so, Ten tells the story of Jaehyun, how he calls every day, for an hour, and builds this unfamiliar bond with a complete stranger. As the story progresses, Yuta’s dinner-plate eyes become scared, worried, then thoughtful.

“I guess I should’ve stopped after that night. I don’t even know why I asked for a demonstration. But then… I called the next day. It’s like a fucking drug or something. I didn’t see why I shouldn’t keep calling, but also I just felt like I needed to talk to him.” Ten blushes. “And then… um. We had phone sex.” Cough. “And then I freaked out and hung up as fast as I could.”

The dinner-plate eyes came back. “You WHAT.”

“I didn’t know what to do! I had no time to sort my thoughts and feelings out- it just kind of happened all of a sudden and it got too fucking overwhelming and I-I...”

“-freaked out and hung up.” Yuta supplies.

Ten closes his eyes and sighs. “Yeah.”

“I… see. And… you decide to push yourself harder in dance, work and studies in order to put off dealing with… this?” Yuta hazards a guess.

Ten nods, curling closer into the bean bag.

“Wow. I didn’t realize Hansol would be this good at predicting the future.” Yuta turns and eyes the figure whose long legs are dangling off the couch.

“I told you it’d hit him.” Comes the slurred reply.

Ten pauses, then slowly pushes himself up. “...excuse me?”

The threat in Ten’s voice is absolutely real, and it's private property so his death can go unnoticed, so Yuta does what any sane person would do, and backtracks like mad. “It was Hansol’s idea, I swear. I just thought it’d be funny to see how long it’d take for you to figure out you’re calling a gay sex phone line,” His babbles become urgent and almost pleading when Ten turns to flash a murderous glare at him.

“I’m innocent.” He squeaks.

From the couch, Hansol chuckles low and amused. “So, what are you going to do now?” He asks.

Ten glares at the dark form on the couch for a long moment. This son of a bitch single-handedly sent Ten’s world into a wild fucking goose chase and has the gall to laugh-

Why is murder illegal again? He inhales deeply.

“Please don’t kill me.” Yuta continues, inching away from his end of the couch now and almost clambering onto Hansol, who sits up again with a shit-eating grin and lazy half-lidded eyes, eyes so intelligent and perceptive Ten almost forgets how he single-handedly managed NCT Studio to its current success.

“I’m  _so_ going to get you back for this.” He growls each word.

Hansol snorts. “Please. I didn’t make you call him day after day after day. So tell me, what did?”

The anger in his chest simmers when he realizes Hansol is not wrong. Still. “If you’re looking for a specific answer- I like him, you asshole.” Ten says icily.

“That's more like it. No more of the mopey shit from the past two weeks.” Hansol sneers.

Yuta looks between two of his closest friends. “Is there some unresolved conflict between you two? Also-" He turns to Ten sharply. "What are we, chopped liver? Why haven't you said anything?”

Ten glares at Hansol, who is still grinning like the little shit he is. “The worst grade of rotten liver,” Ten answers through grit teeth and Hansol responds by bearing  _his_ teeth in a fangy-smile. “And I was figuring shit out.”

“And what exactly have you figured out?” Hansol asks. Yuta slaps his mouth for being so shameless, but he sneaks a look at Ten like expecting an answer.

Ten sighs explosively and rests his arm over his eyes. “I don’t fucking know. I don’t know how to deal with any of this. I think my only course of action is to call him and talk about it.”

Hansol hums thoughtfully, while Yuta stares at the wall with a blank look, then he shakes awake. “He hasn’t called you back?”

“I practically screamed that I needed space. It doesn’t brook for much of an argument, you know.” Ten says.

They fall into another silence, and Hansol hands over the bottle of soju. Ten downs the rest and curls back into a ball on the bean bag. A moment later, a big fluffy blanket is thrown on top of him.

“You should call in a sick day tomorrow. You’ve probably put in a ridiculous amount of overtime in the past two weeks anyways.” Ten hears Yuta mutter somewhere above him.

“Mmmf can’t.” He mumbles.

“If you’re not awake by 7 tomorrow I’m going to call in sick for you.” Yuta decides resolutely. But he doesn’t have to, because Ten can’t hear him anyway- he’s already pulling the blanket over his head and mumbling something unintelligible, then falling into a deep sleep.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Jaehyun tries to go about his day as he normally does, but everything feels off. The motion of making morning coffee feels off. Washing the suds from his hair in shower feels off. Getting dressed and going to school feels off.  _And work-_

He does his best but his words sound empty even to his own ears. It doesn't help that he’s reminded of Ten at every turn, and it just makes him feel worse. By the third day, Sooyoung asks if he’s okay, if he wants to take a day off.

“I’m fine, really.” He says with as much conviction as he can muster.

Sooyoung narrows her eyes and Jaehyun feels his stomach sink. He’s not a good liar, and Sooyoung is nothing if not perceptive. He just doesn’t feel comfortable enough talking to his boss about Ten, not to mention it would probably jeopardize his employment. So he stays quiet, and they stare at each other a little longer.

Finally, Sooyoung looks away, scratching the back of her head in frustration. “Let me know if you need anything, okay?”

Without waiting for a reply, she stalks off, leaving Jaehyun at the lobby of their office. He sighs and shuffles into his small room, guilt pooling at his stomach.

But it pales in comparison to the conflicting emotions somewhere under his ribs. No matter how much he thinks and reasons with himself, he comes to the same conclusion:

He fucked up.

There’s no going back, even if back was ambiguous phone sex friends, whatever that meant. He shouldn’t have asked, shouldn’t have pushed things so far. And-

And it hurts. A slight pain that tears deeper each day when at 11 pm, no call comes through. On the first day, his heart thumped so hard in his chest as the wait chokes him, blurring his vision. He belatedly downloads an app to help control breathing, and the anxious feeling passes.

But as the days go by, even Soonkyu shoots him worried glances when she thinks he’s not looking. But he feels them on his back all the same and hunches his shoulders up a bit more, hurrying down the hall to his room to avoid further interactions. It’s not uncommon for short-term regulars to drop off, so Jaehyun hopes she’s come to that conclusion- that whatever “11 pm boy” calls for have resolved. But even she’s picked up on his mood, when they talk for all of ten minutes at most every work day.

Jaehyun closes the door softly and slumps over his desk.

He should probably talk to someone about this.

-

Sicheng is silent and contemplative across from Jaehyun, slowly reaching for his lukewarm latte. It might take more than a few seconds to digest the bomb Jaehyun just dropped. Then again, he was the one who noticed how quiet Jaehyun became, in the group chat and in general, and called up the honey-haired boy for coffee.

“I'm not sure what to do now.” Jaehyun says.

It's been over a week and the wear is starting to show- the bags under his eyes more apparent, his words slurred, his voice lower than before. There's even a slight slouch to his normally straight shoulders.

Sicheng watches Jaehyun for a moment longer, then shakes his head. “I don't know what to say either.” He starts. “He…”

“He's got his own issues.” Jaehyun finishes, and Sicheng nods.

“I can’t be sure, but yeah, it sounds like that.” Sicheng says, and Jaehyun shakes his head. “It's not your fault. He’s an adult, he gave consent. He needs to figure his shit out.”

Jaehyun nods, chewing on his lip. They fall into another uneasy silence. Then Jaehyun says, “It just... makes me want to be there for him even more.” Sicheng’s eyes widen. “I know this sounds bad, I've spent the past week trying to come to terms with this, but I…” Jaehyun swallows. “I want to fix this somehow, or at the very least make sure he's okay.”

Sicheng observes Jaehyun for a moment longer, then looks away and finishes the rest of his coffee. “Look,” he starts. “It’s not up to you, the ball is not in your court. It’s tough to wait but  _he’s_ the one who  _hung up on you_ , if that isn’t a sign to ask for space, then I don’t know what is.”

Jaehyun chews his lip and nods. He knows this. He pushes away his coffee and shakes his head, so Sicheng takes it as a cue to move onto other topics, like work and school. And if Jaehyun is more distracted than usual, he doesn’t comment on it.

When they're about to leave, Sicheng pulls Jaehyun into a tight hug, a genuine  _I'm here for you_ pressed into open arms, and they part ways.

-

It is uncharacteristic of Sicheng to plan an event at a club of all places, but the other guys in the 97 liner chat are more than happy to participate, so much that they invite their own friends and before they know it, the party is happening full swing, with a lanky DJ spinning discs on the raised platform and Mingyu and Minghao facilitating body shots on the bar, right in front of the bartender who looks a cross between exasperation and amusement.

Jaehyun isn't in a party mood, but he appreciates Sicheng’s efforts, and tries to enjoy the evening.

Bambam and Yugyeom pull him, Sicheng and their other friends, Jackson and Youngjae for dirty $3 tequila shots, then they pour into the small dance area and start dabbing and twerking over each other. Soon, Mingyu, Seokmin and their friends Soonyoung and Jun join in, and suddenly everyone starts dancing.

For the first time in days, Jaehyun’s expression loosens as he forgets about everything, letting the music flow into his veins. He’s not a good dancer, at least he doesn’t think so, but he's been told he looks downright fuckable when he dances. It’s not intentional, but his eyes become slits, a teasing smirk often pulls at his lips and although he’s received no prior training, he’s always had a good grasp on moving with the rhythm.

Slowly, the cheering and loud whooping soften as the bass line picks up and like a muffled blur, like he’s zoned out, he keeps dancing, his mind easing into blankness where nothing but him and the music exist.

After a few songs, Jaehyun feels a soft touch around his waist, and opens his eyes to see Sicheng pressing against him, smiling secretly again. In the darkened interior, they look very intimate, but Sicheng’s touch is polite and Jaehyun knows it’s time for him to sit back down- he’s making too many people stare again, and nothing good ever came out of that.

Sicheng leads him to their booth, their hands clasp together tightly as the club fills up. “How are you feeling?” He asks.

Jaehyun flashes a smile and a thumbs up, and that’s good enough for Sicheng to give a wide grin of his own. Sicheng points to the bar and gestures to Jaehyun to see if he'd be interested, but is met with a firm shake of head.

“I'll be back.” He mouths, and get makes his way to the bar.

With nothing better to do, and his heartbeat slowly coming down from the dancing high, Jaehyun takes out his phone and checks the time.

“Hey.” Comes a voice beside him.

It’s dark, but when Jaehyun looks up, he meets brown, almond-shaped eyes and strong angular eyebrows on a man that is very tall- likely taller than himself, and very handsome too.

“Hey.” He responds cautiously.

The lips on the man curl into a cat-like grin. “Mind if I joined you?” He gestures to the space beside Jaehyun, who considers this for a moment, then moves over a bit, so he seats himself, stretching his long legs underneath.

“What’s your name?” The taller man asks.

“Typically most people introduce themselves before asking for a name,” Jaehyun says with a quirk of lips. “But I’m Jaehyun.”

“Ah, sorry. I’m Johnny.” Johnny flashes a wide grin, and Jaehyun responds with a small one of his own.

-

Ten is in the middle of typing up a report- he’s at work, meeting deadlines with one functional arm, nursing a mild hangover and cursing Hansol and Yuta to hell and back, when he gets a message from Johnny, who tells him he’s planning to go out with Taeyong tonight, and seeing if he and the other dancers would be interested in joining. The two had met a couple months back when Ten brought his friends over after dance practice one evening, and have been hanging out intermittently from what Ten knows.

In a strange and unexpected way, Johnny and Taeyong really hit it off. Taeyong has never stayed over for  _that_ reason before, but while most people find Johnny standoffish and unapproachable, Taeyong talks to him easily, and jokes and conversations blend in perfect harmony. When Taeyong asks why Ten doesn’t hang out with Johnny much, he shrugs and blames their different schedules, and not that he thinks they have nothing in common.

It’s been about a week, his arm still hurts when he jostles it too much, and he’s only starting to feel better from last night’s drinking. But he doesn’t want to seem like the broody, anti-social roommate; this is after all Johnny’s first time inviting him out. And if Taeyong’s there, then maybe he can bring- well,  _not Yuta or Hansol-_  maybe Doyoung.

It’s right after the dance competition too, and he honestly has no plans to plunge right into study mode anyway, so while clubbing may not the healthiest way to procrastinate, he’s not picky.

He quickly shoots Doyoung a message, who responds with an enthusiastic positive, before he tells Johnny that he’ll be going. With any luck, Yuta and Hansol won’t catch wind of this, and he’ll get to have fun with sane friends for once.

...

So much for wishful thinking.

Yuta’s already got both arms around Ten’s waist and puppy eyes begging for forgiveness the moment he enters Hansol’s car, the glare he’s shooting at Doyoung’s head going largely ignored.

“I thought we could use some company, since we’re clubbing and all.” He says a-matter-of-factly, like he didn’t coerce Hansol to be the designated driver because he wants to get trashed too. “Whatever beef you have with them, let it go. You know you can’t stay mad at them for long anyway.”

The retaliation dies in Ten’s throat as he watches his three closest friends discuss the most interesting way to get drunk, and rolls his eyes. There's no way this will end well.

It’s 10:30 pm by the time they pull up at the club and the party's in full swing. Doyoung has one arm around Ten’s smaller frame, the other being jostled aggressively by a very hyper Yuta. Hansol is still, somehow, unscathed, which, what the hell, he’s not even injured.

“I’m the DD, you can’t touch me.” He explains with a shrug, and pets Ten’s head, who glares back through his eyebrows.

“I’m fucking injured.” Ten says uselessly, because Doyoung’s grip hasn’t lessened at all, and within moments they find themselves in front of the bar and Doyoung orders them (minus Hansol) a round of vodka shots. Yuta wrinkles his nose and complains about his tastes in alcohol, but downs the drink nonetheless, then orders a mint julep.

“Whatever.” Doyoung mutters under his breath, then pulls Ten to the dance floor.

Within seconds, he’s lost Doyoung to the crowd. The atmosphere is relentless, the heat and music are stifling and reminds Ten of all the reasons he hates clubbing in the first place, but he endures it, if not for the sake of hanging out with his friends, then for clearing his reputation of being a grandpa and going to bed before 12. Even then, the urge to find a place to sit is strong, and Ten is struggling between the choice of dancing weirdly with one arm in a cast on the dance floor, or going back to the bar for more drinks, or look for Johnny, since he’s the reason Ten’s here anyway.

He goes on his tiptoes and looks around… no sign of the man in question. So maybe the bar...

“Hey, how’s your arm doing?” A voice shouts beside him.

Ten turns to meet Taeyong’s wide smile, and manages a half-shrug. “Getting better.” He shouts back.

Taeyong hums and nods thoughtfully, eyeing the bundled arm for a moment. “You look good. Think you can dance?” His cocks his eyebrow in question.

Ten raises a brow in question. He’s not wearing anything nice, just a fitted black shirt and black jeans, torn at the knees and some silver accessories. Where did Taeyong get “good” from? Ten shakes his head. “Probably not the best idea. I’m just here to drink and forget the pain.” He says half-heartedly. “I thought you came with Johnny. Where is he?”

Taeyong smirks. This is like their inside joke. It’s almost always guaranteed that Johnny brings someone home when he goes clubbing. It’s just how things work. Ten’s learned the patterns so when Johnny is out the night before , he’ll either wake up earlier to avoid any awkward confrontation with the one-night-stand, or sleep over at Yuta’s. In fact, he’s not surprised if Johnny is chatting someone up right now since he’s not with Taeyong.

“You already know.” Taeyong chuckles and shakes his head. “Wanna go see him?”

“Maybe in a bit, still working on the drinking and forgetting the pain bit.” Ten says, gesturing to his cast.

“Sounds like a healthy way to cope with injuries.” Taeyong snorts. “Well I'm gonna go dance. See ya later!”

And with that, his silver head gets lost in the crowd. Ten shakes his head. This is starting to feel like a really bad idea. He watches the dance floor for and moment longer, seeing Yuta expertly finding Taeyong and Doyoung, and the three immediately start dancing amongst the sea of people.

“Want to get another drink?” Hansol slides beside him, towering over his smaller frame with a knowing grin.

“Only if you're paying.” Ten grumbles, still pissed.

“Stop holding grudges and I might. Let's go.” Hansol chuckles.

They make their way back to the bar, where Ten orders a Corona and Hansol, true to his word, buys the drink for him.

“Are you softening? Is this what old age does?” Ten taunts.

“Wait a couple months and you’ll see for yourself, cupcake.” Hansol says with a toothy smirk.

Neither of them say anything for a moment, they’re both watching the club-goers writhe with the music like unable to rip their eyes from witnessing a train wreck. Finally, Ten clears his throat- loudly, and shouts that going to a club may not be a good idea. Hansol nods in silent agreement.

“To be honest, this isn’t really my thing, and I’m still bummed out by the competition yesterday. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.” Hansol admits, and Ten would’ve pretended that he didn’t hear the man, but there was a lull in music and the surrounding is buzzing, but not loud.

Ten shuffles on his feet and half-shrugs. “Thanks… I think. I’ll be fine. I just need time to be okay with… this, then I’ll call him.” Ten says, like he’s just decided then.

Hansol nods.

“Wanna finish that drink? We can go somewhere quieter, maybe I can drop you off. It is a work day tomorrow.” Hansol suggests, and Ten is quick to agree.

“Okay. I might look for Johnny to say hi before we leave.” He says.

Hansol nods.

They share another moment of silence, before Ten feels the back of his pocket vibrate. He checks it and sees a message from his sister.

 **idiot sis**  
WTf  
TAE WHAT WERE YOU THINKING  
We’re gonna need to talk  
Dinner tomorrow. Fugu Izakaya. 8 pm.

The plan comes crashing. This was supposed to be the moment where he gloats for getting back at his sister, but he’s eyeing the messages with a kind of empty sadness that’s probably showing on his face, from how Hansol is shooting worried glances his way.

He sighs and tucks the phone in his pocket again.

“Everything okay? Was it lover boy?” Hansol asks.

“It’s my sister.” Ten grumbles, taking a big swig from the bottle.

Hansol raises both eyebrows in surprise. “Well, shit. She found out, huh?”

“Yeah.” Ten says almost miserably. “We’re having dinner tomorrow. Pray for me.”

“What now?” Pipes a voice beside them. It’s Yuta and Taeyong, skipping in hand in hand like the sea of people on the dance floor parted just for them. They’re grinning widely, clearly infected by the dancing, the upbeat music and the buzzing energy around them.

Ten meets Hansol’s eyes. It’s not the right time to talk about this. “Nothing.” Hansol dismisses, and Yuta scowls immediately. “Where’d Doyoung go?”

“He’s with Johnny. Apparently there’s a random big party going on, and half of Seventeen came to the club too, by some random six degrees of separation thingy. They’re in that corner over there.” Taeyong explains, pointing at a table with way too many people crowding around, to the point where they’ve started pulling chairs and tables from other booths. Just then, half of the group separates and moves into another booth, conversation and loud laughter staying consistent throughout the move. It almost like they’ve claimed half of the club.

“Huh. Small world.” Ten comments dryly. He doesn’t miss how Hansol’s jaw clenches for a moment before it relaxes again. Yuta looks at them in question, and Ten shakes his head.

“Well, we’re about to head out because I still have work tomorrow morning and Hansol-”

They all look at Hansol, who shrugs and watches the dance floor with thinly veiled temper.

“Yeah. I think it’s time for us to go.” Ten finishes quickly. He downs his drink and leaves it on the ground by the wall.

“Yuta, call me when you and Doyoung need a ride back. I can’t afford you throwing up in another Uber again.” Hansol reminds, and Yuta flips him the bird before stumbling back, tripping over his own foot, presumably towards the boisterous crowd at the growing booth. Taeyong rolls his eyes.

“I’ll keep an eye on them.” He promises.

“Thanks.” Hansol nods at him, before turning to Ten. “Do you wanna say bye to Johnny?”

Ten considers for a moment, then nods. “Meet you by the doors? I’ll be back soon.” He suggests, and Hansol shoots him a grateful look before ducking away to hide near the wall.

“Clubbing isn’t really his thing, huh?” Taeyong comments as they make their way to the back.

“He’s probably tired.” Ten explains. It’s not in his place to share Hansol’s self-deprecating thoughts.

Taeyong nods, and as the two approach the booths in the back, they meet Johnny, who looks to be just stepping out for a smoke.

“You made it.” He says, by way of greeting. Ten smiles crookedly and waves.

“Sure did.” He says redundantly, but Johnny is all smiles tonight.

“How’s it going? Did you get a drink yet? The bar is by the middle.”

“Yeah, I was here earlier actually. Tried looking for you and couldn’t. Didn’t realize there were people at these booths.” Ten says sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

From one of the booths comes a group of laughter. Ten looks over and recognizes some Seventeen members, along with a bunch of others people. It’s hard to make out their faces, but judging by their hair colours, they may also be dancers. Then he remembers Hansol, who is waiting alone by the door, and feels more urgent to leave.

Johnny follows his line of gaze and brightens. “Wanna join us in the back? Actually, there’s someone you should meet, he’s a great dancer too. I’m sure we can make space for you-” He talks excitedly, but Ten cuts in.

“Actually, I think I’m gonna head out now.” He says in a hurry. “I have work early tomorrow so I should get going.”

Johnny raises a brow in question and looks at Taeyong, who shrugs in response. Ten shuffles awkwardly between them, until Johnny breaks his gaze and smiles gently at Ten. “Okay. Hope you enjoyed your time though.” He stretches his arm out for a hug, but realizes Ten’s cast and pulls back. Ten pauses for a moment, before thinking  _Oh what the hell_ and gives Johnny a quick one-arm hug, which was awkwardly returned, then steps away and turns heel hastily, not wanting to see the shocked expressions on their faces.

“See you.” He calls over his shoulder.

After some pushing and shoving, he finds Hansol again and together, they go back to the car.

“Can I stay over tonight?” Ten asks when they get into the car.

Hansol nods without asking for clarification, which Ten is thankful for. He’s not in the mood to be alone, and he doesn’t want to wake up to chatty one-night-stands.

“Will you be okay with your sister?” He asks instead.

“I think so. I’ll text you if I make it out alive.” Ten says.

Hansol snorts. “Don’t be so dramatic. What’s the worst that can happen?”

Ten’s thought of this long ago. Judging by the amount of money his sister sends to their parents (however unnecessary, since they are well above the mid-income range), the phone bill won’t actually make a dent in his sister’s bank. “Nothing, I think. The worst is probably if she’s not pissed and I don’t get the satisfaction of pulling a prank successfully.” He answers.

Hansol chuckles. “Wow, you really hated the pink hair, huh? You looked pretty cute though.” He teases.

Ten scowls. “Just shut up and drive.”

“Aye, aye, captain.” Hansol mocks salute, and they drive home.

-

Johnny squeezes his way to the booth when he catches sight of Jaehyun tipping his head back and laughing something delightful. He smirks, completely smitten with the dimples, then walks around the table and reaches behind Jaehyun’s chair.

“Hey, wanna head out?” He asks.

Jaehyun looks at him for a moment, then at the boy beside him. The other boy gives him a quick glance over, then shoots  _a look_ at Jaehyun, who shrugs in response. Johnny catches the look and plasters on his most disarming smile.

“I’ll text you.” Jaehyun says and pats his friend’s leg, before reaching for his coat. He smiles at Johnny, who straightens up with a bright expression, and leads Jaehyun out.

“Are we going back to your place?” Jaehyun asks once they leave the club, a quiet stillness surrounding them. He looks curiously at Johnny, who smiles back.

“If you want. I have a car, and didn’t drink, so it’s your call.” Johnny says, covering his heart in a swear.

Jaehyun chuckles, low and soft, and tilts his head sideways. “Show me a place that means a lot to you, then.”

Johnny grins and gestures to the sleek black BMW behind him. “Hop in, dear.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

When Jaehyun wakes up the next morning, he feels lighter and more well rested than he did in the past two weeks. Inhaling deeply, he checks the time on his phone- only to realize his phone isn’t on the side table where he routinely puts it.  _What-_

He sits up and looks around, then immediately gets hit with a wave of nausea and a splitting headache.  _Shit-_ with a groan he slumps back into the covers and pulls the blanket over his head. It's too bright. He takes another ten minutes to roll around before making up his mind to finally get out of bed, then he sits up again- slowly this time, and looks around the room.

He's in his apartment, that's a good start. He’s alone, which is also a good thing. And he's still wearing his clothes from last night, so…

Almond eyes flash in his mind. It was Johnny, wasn't it? His name. The one with an expensive car and a poorly concealed agenda, the one he left the club with and told Sicheng he would text him once he got home-  _Shit. Double shit._ Sicheng must be worried.

He braves the nausea and headache-  _Mind over matter, mind over matter,_ leaps to his desk where his laptop is, and opens the messenger app, then blinks owlishly in wonder. 58 unread messages, 1 from Seokmin to see that he got home okay, and 57 from Sicheng.

When the chat shows that he's online, a message immediately pops up.

 

 **sicheng  
**JAE FUCKING HYUN YOU'RE ALIVE

 

Oh _. Whoops._

 

 **jaehyun**  
Sorry, think I misplaced my phone somewhere  
Woke up at home, safe and sound :)

 **sicheng**  
I think I lost ten years worrying about you  
Shouldn’t have let you go with a fucking stranger

 

Jaehyun chuckles despite the pain throbbing behind his eyes. Since when did Sicheng become so…parental?

 

 **jaehyun**  
Aw I feel so loved ;)  
Wanna pity me some more and come cook for me?

 **sicheng**  
If I come over it’ll only be to shake some sense into you  
Taeyong years, Jaehyun, white fucking hairs

 **jaehyun**  
You had those white hairs waaay before this  
Don’t blame me, blame high school

 **sicheng**  
I don’t know what to do with you  
And what do you mean you misplaced your phone?

 **jaehyun  
**I think I dropped it somewhere

 

Jaehyun rubs his neck gingerly, he definitely fell asleep in an awkward position. Plus, with the nausea and the splitting headache, he just doesn’t have the mental capacity to worry about his phone, hell, he hardly has the capacity to think at all. Stretching his neck this way and that, he waits for Sicheng to respond.

 

 **sicheng  
**Do… you remember where you went last night?

 

Jaehyun smiles softly. Things are getting a little out of hand if Sicheng would rather swallow his discomfort and implicitly ask about Jaehyun’s sex life than ignoring the episode altogether.

 

 **jaehyun**  
Don’t worry  
I’ll figure it out :)

 **sicheng**  
...didn’t think I’d know someone who could survive a day without their phone  
But OK  
Let me know if you need help

 

Jaehyun snorts, grinning fondly.

 

 **jaehyun  
**What would I be if we didn’t stick together?

 **sicheng**  
Very lost indeed  
I have class now  
Talk later

Jaehyun pushes away from his desk on the rolling chair, then flops back onto his bed. With any luck, he’ll wake up from this nap to actually feel like a human again. But ten minutes into his attempt, he’s still wide awake. Sighing, he gives up and moves to the kitchen for much needed water and painkillers. Meanwhile his brain slowly recalls bits and pieces from last night, trying to put the whole picture together. Where had he gone?

He remembers leaving the club with Johnny, he’d had more drinks than he cares to remember, and he mixed, which was never a good thing. But Johnny was nice, respectful, caring. He recalls telling Johnny to show him a place he really likes… or something like that. He was definitely tripping on the alcohol and endorphins of being hit on by someone else, for a change.

It's when he repeats it in the car that Johnny falls silent for a moment before his playful voice slips slightly as he asks if that’s really where Jaehyun wants to go.

And maybe he answers too earnestly, but when Johnny sees the genuine resolution in Jaehyun’s eyes, he looks almost… melancholic?

Anyway. Where was it… at the university campus?

It was an old building with a courtyard, surrounded by a garden. He almost stumbles on the door frame but Johnny catches him, holding his hand a little longer until he yanks it back awkwardly and makes a show of steadying himself. A small smile tugs at Johnny’s lips as he nudges Jaehyun forward.

They were climbing stairs. In fact, they were climbing so many stairs he thought his legs might give but when Johnny finally stops in front of him, thrusts open the dusty windows, he suddenly understands what it truly means to be breathless from beauty. The city lights sparkle below them, the night quiet and cold. He sees his breath in the air, and digs his hands further in his pockets, taking in the view in front of him in its entirety.

“This,” He hears Johnny speak softly beside him. “Is a place that means a lot to me.”

He turns to watch the taller man lean against the window sill, his side profile illuminated by the half moon in the sky. “Why?” He remembers asking.

Johnny studies him, and doesn’t say anything for a long moment, but he breaks into a soft smile and turns back to the cityscape. “Someone I knew brought me here once. We were...  really close, shared everything together; classes and notes, thoughts and ideas, and insults upon insults.” Johnny’s eyes scan the horizon, expression bittersweet. “He moved away a few months ago. Neither of us are good at keeping in touch, so. We drifted.”

Jaehyun hums. The chilly air starts to clear his mind, the blinking lights underneath suddenly look dimmer, weaker than at first. “Where’d he go?”

“Korea.” Johnny says, tone void of inflection. “Said he wanted to take over the tech industry. He’s probably in the rungs getting stepped on all over right now.”

Jaehyun has no response to that, so he nods slowly.

“I don’t think I’ve told anyone about him. You’re the first.” Johnny says quietly. Jaehyun meets his eyes again and they stare at each other for a while. A blanket of silence falls around them, then a loud honk underneath shakes them to their senses and Johnny looks away first.

“Don’t tell me I remind you of him.” Jaehyun says jokingly, but he knows he’s stepping on a thin ice now.

Johnny shakes his head. “You’re different. I can’t pinpoint it, but I get this feeling about you. You understand this, don’t you?” He asks, eyeing Jaehyun cautiously.

Jaehyun steals a glance, then huffs in resigned amusement. “I think I might.” He admits.

It's no strings attached. They're both running from something.

Johnny turns fully to look at him. “So, what’s your story? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“‘We only have ourselves to talk about.’” Jaehyun repeats, smiling softly. “I met a person through work. It didn’t seem like he was interested at first, but the more we talked and got to know each other, the more… involved we became. It was almost like a friendship, or maybe just strange a kind of attraction. Anyway, things got out of hand and now… I’m waiting.”

“For what?” Comes the question.

“I’m not sure.” Jaehyun responds.

They grow quiet for another moment, both lost in thought.

“You don’t want to come back with me, do you?” Johnny says finally. It’s not even a question.

Jaehyun considers this for a moment, then shakes his head when he figures it out. “No.”

An apology is at the tip of his tongue, but Johnny shakes his head with a smile, like he understands.

It’s borderline arrogant, and Jaehyun points it out rather loudly. “Plus, emotionless, mindless sex isn’t a good way to cope with loss.” He says.

Johnny snorts. “Are you lecturing me? Do you want to walk home from here? Do you even know where we are?”

“I have my phone, I can always Uber or Lyft home.” Jaehyun shakes the piece of technology in front of Johnny mockingly, and doesn’t react fast enough when Johnny takes a swipe with his ridiculously large hand.

“Hey- give it back!” Jaehyun nudges at the broad shoulders, but they’re on a small platform and it’s probably not a good idea to start a pushing match against the brittle handrails. He may have had a lot to drink, but he’s not homicidal.

Johnny ignores him and draws the window close. “Let’s get you home, lover boy.”

“Lover- what the hell? Where did you get that from?”

“Your birthday’s on Valentines day, right?” Johnny laughs, open and genuine. “Checked your social media when I went for a breath of fresh air.”

Jaehyun rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling too. The atmosphere lightens around them, the muted lights flicker brightly again. “Creep. Also, smoking is hardly fresh.” He says without heat.

“All in perspective.” Johnny smirks.

Together, they go back down the uneven and poorly lit staircase. How Jaehyun doesn’t trip over his feet and fall to his untimely death is beyond him, but he’s inwardly thanking all sorts of gods when he steps foot on solid ground again.

Johnny quirks an eyebrow. “I didn’t think you’d be afraid of heights.”

Jaehyun snorts. “I'm not.”

Johnny chuckles. “False bravado. You’re like me, I can read you like a book.” He says casually.

In that moment, Jaehyun doesn’t doubt him. Johnny’s pompous and sometimes too arrogant, but Jaehyun sees their similarities even when they were acquainted only hours ago. Johnny catches him and smiles the lazy smile of his.

They slip into the BMW without so much as a word, but as they pull out of the parking spot Johnny asks Jaehyun to give him directions, who does so as diligently as he can, still tipsy despite the cold winter air, despite the open wounds they shared, still raw and confused and sad.

There isn’t much conversation after, Johnny follows Jaehyun’s directions with smooth motions, like he knows where they’re going already. They get to Jaehyun’s apartment in no time.

Johnny eases the car to a stop and turns to Jaehyun. “If you ever change your mind, let me know.”

Jaehyun quirks an eyebrow. He’s not ready, neither of them really are, but Johnny’s proposition still sounds oddly enticing. He pulls back and shakes his head.

“Thanks for the ride, Johnny.”

“Have a good night, Jaehyun.”

He leaves the warm compartment of the car, body almost shaking. It sounds final, the way the words come out. Jaehyun lets out a deep sigh, straightens his back and presses the fob against the sensor, before stepping into the warm apartment lobby.

…

_Ah._

Johnny has his phone.

 _Well shit._ What now?

With any luck, Johnny brings it back to him since he technically knows where he lives, but getting in touch might be hard. As for today, there's no way he can go to class now, it's almost over. And if he steps out for work, he might miss Johnny, but there's no guarantee the other man would show up anyway. Another wave of nausea pushes against against his sight and hearing, and he groans and presses his palms to his eyelids.

He sloppily sets an alarm on the laptop and burrows himself under the covers again. The day can figure itself out when he feels functional again.

-

Ten flips his phone this way and that, to the point where the driving Hansol, whose eyes are supposed to be on the road and not distracted, tells him to stop fidgeting so much. Peripheral visions are fun to mess with.

“Just send the damn text.” He pleads, sounding like he’s seconds from stealing Ten’s phone and sending it off himself.

“I don’t know…” Ten trails off. On the one hand, he already knows he and Jaehyun will need to talk, on the other hand… he’s pretty embarrassed with how he reacted. But mostly, he just wants to fuck with Hansol. He should’ve known that Ten holds grudges like no one else.

At the red light, Hansol turns to give Ten a heated glare only to see that he’s biting back a laugh, and makes a strangled sound in frustration.

“I swear to god Ten if you make him swerve one more fucking time I’m going to throw up all over you.” Moans a voice from behind. Yuta has a safety blanket around him, covering his eyes and slouched over the seats, obviously dying.

“Quiet. You’re the one who decided to get trashed last night.” Ten sneers. Payback is- pardon the language- a bitch.

“There are plastic bags beside you. Don’t you dare throw up in my car again.” Hansol warns.

“Do it anyway, Yu.” Ten encourages, and smiles toothily at Hansol’s murderous expression.

“Why am I here.” Yuta whines.

It's not like Ten tickled him for minutes with his one hand, lectured him about the importance of education and developing good work ethics, poured water in his ear or, as a last resort, threatened to tell Hansol about his crush back in middle school. The last one earned him a sleepy glare and a middle finger, to which he folds down with his palm and drags Yuta up an out of bed in one smooth motion.

Ten whistles innocently.

“School, Yuta. You work hard to pay for that shit, don't let your efforts to go to waste.” Hansol says, and Yuta whines again. “And we’re going to Ten’s place to drop him off first- are you finally sending the text?”

“Oh my god that was almost a squirrel YES I’ve sent it christ!” Ten clutches onto his seatbelt, shooting Hansol a terrified glare.

Hansol snorts. And Yuta throws up into the bag.

When Ten gets back to his apartment, he has only twenty minutes to get ready with his one available hand. He bursts into the bathroom for a quick shower, hoping to avoid any social interactions with Johnny or the person he decided to bring home last evening. So far so good. Next, he pulls on a white shirt, ironed to crisp perfection, and a fitted black suit. After he dresses, he gives a quick look in the mirror and sees his hair is floppier than usual, so he attempts to tame it this way and that, before realizing it’s a lost cause and uses gel to brush everything back.

Whoa, forehead. That’s something he doesn’t see every day.

Also- shit, he’s going to be late.

On his way out the door, he notices a phone charging on the kitchen counter. Correction: on a normally spotless kitchen counter. He frowns while pulling his oxfords on, but doesn’t think too hard about it as he grabs his briefcase and bounds to the elevator. He has more than enough on his plate, like when Jaehyun will read his message and what he’ll say next.

His day goes about as it does normally, minus the part where a co-worker accidentally spills coffee on his arm (the uninjured one, thankfully) as she rushes from the coffee station to her desk. The jacket is dark and will survive, but both it and his shirt will need to be dry-cleaned. Also, the way they cling to his skin makes him feel all sorts of discomfort and distracts him from work. So, with the deadlines of his projects far away enough, he decides to take an actual lunch break, the first time since he started working, and goes to the nearby mall for a quick shopping excursion.

He went to a couple stores to look for shirts, but the finance hub is not meant for younger people like him to look for an emergency replacement- each shirt is over $300.

So he settles for a black turtleneck, still more expensive than what he’s comfortable with paying, but at least it’s not a complete rip-off, and looks formal enough to tide him over for the rest of the day.

When he changes and steps into the office, he notices a lot more turned heads than normal, and fidgets again. What, are turtlenecks not allowed?

By the end of the day, he’s convinced his office has gone completely mad. Because instead of ‘pink pimpsqueak’, he’s hearing a lot more ‘handsome’ and ‘charming’ and, in one instance with his normally strict manager, ‘beautiful’... at which point, he’s packing up his bags and thinking of a way to never come back because he’ll probably report to HR at this rate.

It’s early, 6:30 pm in fact- it's much too early to go to the izakaya, and not enough time to drive to and from the dance studio, so he settles for going home and taking a short breather.

When he goes back, the phone is still on the kitchen counter, at which point he’s almost convinced Johnny’s one-night-stand had left the damn thing after rushing out in the morning, and goes to pick it up. He would’ve never expected to see his name in a message notification across the top. Taeyong’s?... but he didn't even message the other. Then who...

Then he sees the timestamp on the message, and his stomach drops.

“Johnny? Are you here?” He shouts, voice raising urgently.

After a few seconds, a muffled “Yes,” comes from behind the door. He takes quick strides and arrives in front of the door, and knocks. “Hold on, gonna put a shirt on first.”

Johnny opens the door to his room, eyes half-lidded and sleepy, room messier than normal, a sight that makes Ten’s insides freeze.

“The phone on the counter. This.” He pulls it up. “Whose is it?”

Johnny frowns and looks confusedly at the phone for a moment, then an a-ha moment comes. He opens his mouth to speak, but he catches Ten’s expression and settles with an thoughtful look. Finally, he says, “Why do you ask?”

A screaming desperation claws at Ten’s throat, his heart is beating faster and he scowls further. “Just answer the question. Whose phone is this?”

Johnny studies him for a moment, then looks back at the phone, and Ten knows he’s fucking around with him at this point. The hand in the cast twitches slightly… how much would it hurt if he got into a fight right now?

“Well, I don’t remember too much from last night,” Johnny lies with a straight smile, and when Ten narrows his eyes, he continues, “and I didn’t catch his last name. But his first name-”

He watches Ten as he says, “is Jaehyun.”

-

Jaehyun sneezes, and pulls the sweater closer around himself.  _Hope I’m not getting sick._

He’s just finished dinner, a combination of stir fried pork and sweet peppers, his roommate Bin’s mother’s kimchi, multigrain rice and tea, when his brain is functional enough to consider the options of getting his phone back. He’s normally not the type to freak out about losing things (also he’s pretty sure Johnny has it), but his hands are starting to feel the itch for not having something to hold onto.

And he’s wearing a watch because he no longer knows what time it is.

He can wait for Johnny to return it to him, which, hopefully, will be soon. The other option is to find Johnny, which is probably not that difficult- the 97 liners are resourceful and well connected, someone must know someone. Six degrees of separation might be a bust in theory, but they’re in the same city and it’s not that big. Though it might seem weird to ask for the contact information of the person he supposedly left the club with last night. If that isn’t going to make the top of the rumour mill, he doesn’t know what will... but...

He weighs his options, then shoots Sicheng a message. It’s a start, and if Sicheng doesn’t come up with a lead, he’ll ask the other guys.

With the first step out of the way, he cleans the dishes and heads out for work.

-

Ten swallows a lump in his throat, thoughts running a mile a minute of all the possibilities… he missed the opportunity to meet Jaehyun… he was  _right there._

Johnny watches Ten for a moment longer, and when nothing more impressive happens, clears his throat and asks if they’re done here.

“No. I just. Sorry. I have a few more questions. How did you meet?” Ten trips over his words, but he’s not going to let this fucking go. It’s only been two weeks and Jaehyun’s already out clubbing and meeting new people and  _staying the night-_

A burning sensation courses through Ten as he glares at Johnny, whose eyebrows raise even more

“At the club last night.” Johnny replies shortly.

Ten chews his lip and presses on. He needs to confirm that this isn’t someone else. “How did he look like?”

Johnny pretends to think for a moment, before gesturing to a height a few centimetres below his own. “About this tall. Caramel coloured hair. Pale. Handsome. Dances well. I was going to introduce you.” He says.

Ten clenches his jaw and looks away. “Was he at the booth?”

“Yeah, he was.” Johnny frowns now, and crosses his arms as he leans against the door frame. “Is there a reason to this line of questioning? And are you done with the phone? I plan to give it back to him.”

He eyes pointedly at the phone clutched in Ten’s hand, and Ten stills for a moment, but the ugly feeling rears up even stronger and he looks at Johnny’s eyes directly and says, “I know him. I’ll return it to him.”

If Johnny is surprised, it doesn’t show on his face. He is, however, looking very calculated at the phone, then back at Ten. Finally, he shrugs and tells Ten to do what he wants, and makes a show of turning back to his room.

“Wait- I have one more question.” Ten starts.

Johnny waits for a second, then turns halfway to meet the shorter man’s gaze.  _Yes?_

Ten clears his throat. “Did he… stay the night?”

Now this, Johnny turns his full height on Ten and pins him with a very specific  _look_. “Why do you want to know?” He asks.

They both know Ten has no right to ask this question, no matter who Jaehyun is to either of them, and no matter what the situation may seem like. “I need to know. Did he?” Ten asks, voice low with the hint of a warning.

It’s not often that Johnny loses his impassive facade, but in that moment, Ten sees a flash of annoyance pass over his eyes before he blinks and it’s gone again. “That is none of your business, so I suggest you stay out of it.”

Ten takes a step closer. “Tell me.”

Johnny shoots Ten a heated look. “You know him, don’t you? Why don’t you just ask him?”

Without waiting for an answer, Johnny brushes past Ten and grabs his keys from the fruit bowl while squeezing into his boots, hastily grabs a jacket, and leaves the apartment.

There’s a long moment of stillness as Ten steadies his breathing again. When he comes to, he growls and throws the phone into his pocket, pulls on his jacket and shoes with more force than necessary, and speeds to meet his sister.

Inside Ten is a whirlwind of emotions.

The first, and the strongest, is the jealousy swirling at the pit of his stomach. He’d thought Jaehyun was nice to him, cared about him, allowed him to explore his sexuality through- through their interaction. But he was not alone. He’s not even a part of Jaehyun’s life, not in any significant way. He’s only someone Jaehyun talks to one hour a night. He doesn’t count, he doesn’t matter.

Then the fury and apathy tear his heart and mind apart. How dare he do this. He’d thought they had something… especially when they started talking without the intention of getting back at his sister, without the pressure of talking for an hour every evening. And again on the other side- who is Ten to him, that he would even consider Ten, especially after what he’d done? He’d been the one to freak out first and hung up on the other. He had this coming.

Finally, the sadness and disappointment douse the flames out, and leaves him with a feeling of emptiness. And suddenly everything is overwhelming and nothing at the same time. And he’s so damn tired.

He doesn’t want to deal with this anymore.

He gets to the restaurant with a few minutes to spare, so he takes a moment to calm down. It’s not good to show weakness in front of enemy, after all. Then he pushes through the wooden doors to be greeted by a Japanese waiter, who directs him to a small table where his sister is, but he’d be lying if he said he didn't feel her stare the moment he walked in.

They measure each other up for a long moment, then she breaks into a wide grin and reaches over, and he instinctively shifts back, arm out to block her extended claws. Still, one hand manages to get behind and musses up his hair. Ten scowls, unamused.

“You little shit. How are you?” She greets warmly.

“Been better.” Ten settles. “How are you?”

“Good, until I found out I had to pay for a $1,080 phone sex bill. But otherwise, life's pretty good.” The grin is still pleasant, but her eyes are icicles, promising a slow and painful death. This woman does not beat around the bush. Ten ducks his head to look at the menu, barely concealing a grin.

“Well that's good, some excitement in your otherwise boring life.” He says nonchalantly.  _Hm, grilled pork cheek sounds delicious._

“Hey. Attention over here.” She snaps her fingers, and Ten scowls and turns to look at her. “Care to explain?”

Ten rolls his eyes. “Not particularly.”

Sooyeon makes a sound of frustration. “I mean, spare me the details, obviously. This is for the hair dye schtick, isn’t it?” Ten scoffs, because _Schtick?_ -but manages to keep a straight face. “You do realize a box of those is maybe $15, and you’ve charged seventy two times more onto my fucking card.”

“Your  _schtick_ could’ve cost me a potential of $3,000 revenue loss per month for four months, not including bonus. $1,080 barely scratches the surface.” Ten shoots back icily.

Just then, a waiter comes by to take their orders. Immediately, they speak so cordially like they’ve already talked about what they’ll order, and the waiter brightens. Ten begins with an order of grilled pork cheek, then Sooyeon frowns and tells the waiter to take that out, and adds an orders of gindara and takoyaki. Ten glares at her and asks the waiter to put the pork cheeks back on, take out one of his sister’s orders, and add grilled mushrooms and okra, all the while proving that one-upmanship is strong in the family. By the time they finish, the waiter looks dubiously at the chicken scratch list, then at the two small people sitting on opposite sides, slightly heaving from exertion, and finally senses the tension and scurries away.

After a long staring match, Sooyeon crosses her arms with a tight lipped expression and says, “I'll pay for it,” Ten arches an eyebrow, like,  _Of course you will,_  “-only because I love you so much.” Her expression is positively glowering.

Ten snorts. “Love you too, sis.” He says sarcastically.

Their glares simmer down a notch by the time the frightened waiter sets the food down, and Ten lets out a big sigh with a bored scowl on his face as he picks on a takoyaki. “If you’re going to eat what I order, at least pretend that you like the food. Stop picking it apart.” Sooyeon lectures as she pokes into one and lifts the entire thing into her mouth. Ten wrinkles his nose in disgust.

“Fine.” He mutters, and eats slowly.

With the introduction of food, the rest of dinner goes by smoothly. Ten talks about his internship, and Sooyeon empathizes with his work schedule. Sooyeon complains about how everyone’s asking her about children just because she’s married, and Ten looks genuinely terrified while imagining little spawns of devil around her, and she cackles in his face.

Then she tells Ten to visit their parents more often, that their cat misses him a lot, to which he snorts and says that fat orange tabby doesn’t even remember that he’d had breakfast and would complain for more food within minutes, and Sooyeon snickers because that’s pretty accurate.

“Still, at least go check up on mom. She was worried about your arm.” She says, poking at his cheek.

Instead of swatting her hand away, Ten bows his head as he pushes the half-eaten daikon around on his plate. “Fine.” He concedes.

Sooyeon raises a brow, but doesn’t comment on his tone. Instead, her eyes follow his, and lands on the phones beside his glass.

“Since when do you have two phones?” She asks curiously.

Ten quickly looks away, and Sooyeon frowns further. “Since never.” He replies almost too neutrally, which definitely means there’s more to it.

“Then why do you have two?”

Ten shoots her an annoyed glance and says, “One of them is not mine, obviously.”

“Did you steal it?” She narrows her eyes.

“Really? That’s the conclusion you come to?” Ten looks at his sister for a moment, before sighing again and shaking his head. “It’s a long story. I just need to return it.”

Sooyeon frowns and reaches for the phone, but Ten pulls both closer with a glare. She stares back impassively and crosses her arms. “We have all night. Share with me.”

Except it sounds more like Ten’s being voluntold, which he doesn’t really enjoy. He glares at his sister, letting his guard drop for a moment and she swipes the phone from underneath his nose with a triumphant, “HA!”

“Are you insane sit back down!” Ten hisses while looking around the restaurant and bowing his head apologetically at the concerned looking waiters by the kitchen. “Give that back.” He growls.

“Not until you tell me what’s been bothering you.” She says, wagging a finger under his nose.

_Oh god. She’s like another Yuta, or Yuta’s like her… whatever._

Ten looks helplessly at the phone for a moment, then at Sooyeon’s stubborn face, and slumps back into his chair.

“I don’t even know why I’m about to tell you this,” he starts. “This belongs to a person I know… from the phone sex line. I found his phone on the kitchen counter, he probably spent last night with my roommate. I’m just doing them the favour and returning it back to him.” He finishes as clearly as possible, like there are no plot holes whatsoever.

“You skipped over a million details.” Her eyes widen. “Like, how do you even know this is his phone?”

“I saw the text I sent to him appear on this phone.” Ten explains succinctly, hoping it'll deter anymore questions.

Sooyeon frowns. “Isn’t it against company policy for a working professional to share their personal numbers, regardless of the industry?” She says, unconsciously tapping on the phone cover. Ten’s eye twitches at the motion. “And why are you returning it? You weren’t even the one who slept with- oh. Ohhh.”

_Aw fuck._

The sly smirk tugs at her lips. “I’m not going to say it, but tell me I’m right.”

Ten rolls his eyes skyward. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“My god, Ten. I didn’t know you’d-” Then she pauses, and bites her lip. “Okay, since you’re providing me with so much entertainment, I’ll let this go.” Ten internally lets out a small breath of relief. “What are you planning to do?”

Sooyeon looks expectantly at her younger brother, who has his head tucked, avoiding her eyes and chewing on his lip, before coming to this conclusion. “You haven’t thought this far ahead, have you?” She breathes.

“It just fucking happened okay? Why does everyone think I have all of the answers?” Ten says frustratedly. “I’ll probably google where he works and-”

Before he finishes his sentence, his phone lights up from a message, showing an address, and looks at his sister with a disbelieving expression.

“Wow. You’re like. Literally something else.” He manages to say.

“Their address was listed on my credit card bill. Just thank me with chocolates and bath bombs, brother dear.” Sooyeon says with a smirk. “Go return it.”

“Just because your married life is boring doesn’t mean you need to create drama in others’ to live vicariously through them.” Ten says dryly, but the corner of his mouth pulls lower. “And why should I be thanking you? No one know what’s going to happen next.” He says, ignoring the ugly feeling at the pit of his stomach.

Sooyeon shrugs. “It doesn’t mean that it can’t become something good. All you know is that things will change, either for better or worse.” She says. Ten narrows his eyes.

“Those words sound ominous coming from you.” He says.

“A mere subjective observation.” Sooyeon smirk. “Aren’t you going?”

Ten rolls his eyes, finding no other excuse to prolong meeting Jaehyun, and waves for the waiter.

Sooyeon interjects. “Don’t worry about the bill. Just give me a good story.” She smirks, throwing his jacket in his face and pushing him away.

Ten stumbles. “What-?”

“No more questions.” She grins widely now. “Go return that phone to its rightful owner. No one can live without their phone these days, and it’s only polite that you see to this ASAP.” And with a mighty push, Ten is enough paces away from the table (and his ecstatically waving sister) to turn back, so he checks his watch- 9:30 pm. He can’t go back home, Johnny might be there. And his sister’s probably right, he said he’d return the phone, it’s his responsibility now. So he sighs and tugs on his jacket, and follows the blinking location pin on his GPS.

-

_Breathe in. Three. Four._ _  
_Breathe out. Seven. Eight.__

-

About half an hour later, as Ten pulls into a dimly lit parking lot of a strip mall, he comes to a small realization. If calling Jaehyun was nerve-wracking back then, then this… this is a whole new level of pants-shitting. His palms are sweaty, his insides feel twisted in knots, and there is a permanent lump in his throat that no amount of water can get rid of.

Ten feels the weight of the phone in his pocket and his expression darkens.  _Now or never._

He locks his car and yanks on the building door, cold air rushing into the warmth as he does.

At the front sits a petite blonde girl with big eyes and pink lips pulled into a wide smile, the headset dwarfs around her head blinks red every couple of seconds.

“Hi there.” She greets amiably.

Ten unconsciously straightens his jacket and approaches the front desk. “Hi. Um. Could you tell me where I can find Jaehyun?”

The smile slips slightly as her eyes narrow a little, eyeing him up and down. “Sorry, he’s busy right now. Why are you looking for him?” She asks, still polite and jovial, but with an edge to her voice.

Ten chooses his words carefully. “I know him. Um. He lost his phone last night, I’m here to return it.” Ten says, producing the phone from his pocket as proof. Her eyes widen in recognition, and her face brightens again. She probably thinks he’s a friend or something, Ten thinks. He watches her as she types on the keyboard, scans the monitor, then turns her attention to him again.

“Sorry, it’s security protocol.” She explains. “He’s not taking any calls right now, so you can head on in. His door is the second to the left down the hall.” She says, pointing to the hallway. Ten nods his head and thanks her, and takes measured steps down the hall.

...

_Breathe in. Three. Four._ _  
_Breathe out. Seven. Eight.__

...

He knocks on the door, and when he hears a muffled voice saying  _Come in_ , he pushes the door open.

-

Jaehyun’s not expecting any guests tonight, so he’s understandably shocked to see a stranger standing by the door.  _Shit, is he a new worker?_

“Hi,” The man says automatically. Jaehyun frowns, that voice sounds familiar, but he’s never seen his face before. He’s good at recognizing faces, and the one before him would be one he’d definitely remember. The man has fair skin, pink lips- far to pink to be normal surely, dark angular eyebrows and strong jaws. His eyes, though, they make everything else pale in comparison. The intense pools of dark brown orbs make him look much more intimidating than his slight stature suggests. Not to mention the all-black ensemble, turtleneck and dress pants combination gives a very strong death angel vibe.

But then again, his arm is in a cast and sling.

The man raises an eyebrow.

“Hey.” He stammers belatedly, blushing for staring at a stranger so openly. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting company. You are…?”

“I’m.” The man pauses for a moment, looking at his feet, before meeting his eyes again. “I’m Johnny’s roommate.” He says finally.

Jaehyun’s eyes widen.  _Shit_. Did he talk about work while they were still at the club? It must’ve been before they left, his memory was a bit hazy until the cold shook him awake. “Ah. Well, hi, Johnny’s roommate.” He smiles teasingly.

But the other man doesn’t say anything, he’s just looking at him like he’s grown a head, so Jaehyun fidgets again. “Do you want to come in? There isn’t much though.” He gestures to the small black couch and table to one side, and the man eyes it dubiously before walking up and seating himself gracefully, like a cat or something.

“Thanks.” He says.

Their eyes meet again, and Jaehyun can’t help the nagging feeling that he should know this person. He tries for an easy smile. “So. Not to be rude, but what brings you here?” He asks.

The man looks around the room before settling on him again. Jaehyun fidgets under the intensity of his stare. “You left your phone at our place. I’m here to return it.” The man replies, steady and calculated.

Jaehyun’s eyes widen and a wide smile breaks open. “It’s with you? Thank you, you went through all the trouble to get it back to me.” He chuckles lightly, as pulls the chair at his desk over and settles across from the other man. “Were you at the club last night too? I’m sorry I don’t remember, I’m not that good with names. It was pretty dark and there were way too many people all at once.” He smiles again. The man stares at him for a bit, a pause in conversation, before looking away.

“I was there. But we didn’t meet.” Comes the clipped reply. Jaehyun frowns. It sounded like… he somehow offended the other man. But if they’ve never met, then…?

“Well, it’s okay. You’re here now.” Jaehyun grins. “Did you want something to drink?”

The man purses his lips, and shakes his head. “No thanks. But, I have a question, if you don’t mind.”

Jaehyun leans back on his chair with a soft smile, body relaxed and ankles crossed underneath him. “Sure, what is it?”

“Do you really not recognize me?” He asks.

Jaehyun frowns now, tilting his head to the side. “No, should I?”

The question hangs heavily in the air, and Jaehyun senses that there’s more to this stranger than meets the eye. He shakes his head. “Forget it. I’d just thought-” He looks at a loss for words, and ducks his head again. “I thought you’d remember.” He mutters.

He pulls Jaehyun’s phone out from his pocket and hands it over to Jaehyun, who takes it with a look of uncertainty. “Is something wrong?” Jaehyun asks.

“No.” The man says with a sigh. A sigh that triggers something inside Jaehyun. He frowns and stares at the man’s lips. His nose. His eyes. Then his heart speeds up, pulse slowly getting louder in his ears. Wait a minute-

“I… know you, don’t I?” He ventures.

The other man meets his gaze with tired eyes and a small, sardonic smile. “I’m not sure you do.” He says.

“What’s your name?” Jaehyun asks.

“It doesn’t matter.” The man responds. “I should go.” He makes a move to stand up, but Jaehyun catches the sleeve of his arm, then a firm grip on his wrist, and pulls him back. They're both standing now.

“Tell me your name.” Jaehyun presses.

The man stills for a moment, looking at the clock on a wall. Whatever he sees makes him shake his head. “Ask Johnny.” He replies bitterly. Which, what the fuck?

“You’re here and perfectly capable of answering. It’s not rocket science. What’s your name?” Jaehyun asks, voice raising slightly.

The man chews at his bottom lip, staring at the ground and asks, “Do you really want to know?”

“Yes.” Jaehyun answers resolutely, eyes trained on the man before him.

“Then let go of me.” Comes the quiet request.

Jaehyun hesitates. He’s not sure why, but he feels if he lets go, the man may suddenly disappear, like in a dream. They stare intently at each other for a long moment. Then, after a beat, his grip on the wrist loosens.

The man reaches into his pocket and pulls out his own phone, then dials a number. Jaehyun watches on with a frown on his face.

Then his phone vibrates in his hand. What the hell-

He checks, and feels his insides freeze up.

“What does it say?” Comes the quiet voice.

Jaehyun looks at the man before him, then at his phone again.

_No._

_No fucking way._

The phone stops vibrating and shows a missed call.

_But how?_

“What are you doing? Is this some kind of a prank?” He asks, eyeing at the other man with a new kind of wonder and dread.

“Prank?” The man scoffs and looks at him dead in the eyes. “Sure, if that makes you accept the other situation more easily.”

Something in his tone rubs Jaehyun the wrong way, and he feels his temper flaring. “This is not funny. You’re fucking with me, aren’t you?” His voice hardens, dropping lower almost in a desperate plea.

“Really? You really think I’d do that?” The man says dispassionately, then a small sadistic smirk forms on his lips. “Okay. Call the number.”

“I'm not calling it.” Jaehyun says with a glare.

The smirk widens on the man's face. “Give me your phone then. I'll do it for you.”

When the man stretches his arm out, Jaehyun takes a step back instinctively, before catching himself and scowls harder. Not sensing his discomfort, the man takes three strides towards Jaehyun, eyes in a silent question as his hand gently cups the back of Jaehyun’s, selects the number, and hits call.

Jaehyuns eyes warily at the phone in the stranger’s hand, unaware that he's holding his breath.

Then it lights up, his number shown in crisp Helvetica across the screen.

The smaller hand drops and the man steps back now, studying his face with detached curiosity.

Jaehyun stares back in disbelief.

“Ten.”

 


	9. Chapter 9

The last time Ten had his breath knocked out of him was when he was four years old. He was riding his bike too fast, the corner approached much sooner than he anticipated, and he was thrown onto cement ground, scraping his elbow and knees. His sister helped pick his bike up with a _been there, done that_ look and he struggled to catch his breath, too shaken for even the pain to register. It was a good thing he wore a helmet.

He would have never expected that the sight of someone would invoke similar feelings, but he's starting to realize Jaehyun is quickly becoming an exception to every rule, every limit.

He's taller than Ten thought. Taller, more built, and very handsome. He’s wearing a comfortable striped sweater and well-loved jeans. On anyone else, they would look like dad clothes. There’s a subtle scent of something clean and sweet. His eyes are a warm light brown, like his hair. And his lips-

Ten quickly turns away, training his eyes at a spot near Jaehyun’s ear, and says hi.

The conversation is awkward from the get-go, but Ten pays it little mind as he takes in the surroundings like it’s a surreal environment. And perhaps it is. He’s imagined the room, and Jaehyun in it, in many instances, mostly when they talked on the phone. The couch is comfortable and worn, the room small and cozy, the lighting dim and soft. When there’s a pause in chatter, his attentions turn back to the man himself.

Jaehyun is so handsome Ten has to consciously tell himself to stop staring, so he forces his eyes to wander some more.

And if his heart is wreaking havoc in his ribcage, he hopes his expression betrays nothing.

Then Jaehyun pulls his chair to sit across from him, their knees inches apart, and he’s suddenly hit with the realization that he's here, at _Jaehyun’s workplace_ , where everything happened, and a bitter feeling courses through his veins. He tries to tamp it down, tries to be unaffected, but he can feel it under his skin all the same.

So when he gathers his courage to ask if Jaehyun remembers him, only to be met with a negative as an answer, it feels like all hope is lost. There’s no reason for him to be here.

He quickly drops Jaehyun’s phone into outstretched hands and makes a move to leave the room, he doesn’t expect a tug at his sleeve, then his wrist is enveloped in a warm, firm grip.

_God damnit._

His defenses roar out soon after, trying in vain to protect himself with familiar sarcasm and apathy, until Jaehyun pushes him too far and before he knows it, he’s close enough to Jaehyun that he can feel the soft vibrations from underneath his sweater, his uninjured hand pressing call on the phone, before lifting his own up in clear view.

A pause, then it buzzes, the screen lighting up to show Jaehyun’s number.

“Ten.”

A mix of emotions flash through Jaehyun’s eyes, too fast and complicated for Ten to follow, but he does see the disbelief spell out from the lines of his body, the frown echoing the confusion and shock. Ten looks away again.

“I don’t understand.” Jaehyun says in an almost whisper. “How- why are you here?”

“I came to return your phone.” Ten replies, trying to sound unaffected.

“And Johnny is-” Jaeyhun pauses, seemingly too overwhelmed by everything at once, and Ten allows a small quirk of lips.

“-my roommate.” He finishes.

They lull into another silence, staring at each other hesitantly, before Ten feels the unsettling feeling under his skin.

“I have to go.” He says, turning away again.

“Stop.”

There’s no hand around his wrist this time, but he pauses in his tracks anyway. Taking a deep breath, he turns to meet Jaehyun’s eyes, now liquid pools of brown, and the words die in his throat.

“We need to talk.” Jaehyun takes a step closer. Then another. The resolution in his eyes sparks something alight in Ten’s chest. He pushes it down.

Ten rolls his eyes and snorts. “And what, pray tell, do you want to talk about? In the middle of work, no less.”

Jaehyun shakes his head. “I’ll leave early. But we need to talk.” He repeats. He types a message on his phone, then hastily pulls on his jacket and turns to Ten again. Before Ten can react, he finds his uninjured wrist held securely by Jaehyun’s larger hand, and immediately struggles to break free.

“Let go.” He says with an edge of impatience now.

Jaehyun frowns, but his grip is unyielding. “Please just come with me.” Without waiting for an answer, he leads a reluctant Ten down the hall, waves at the strawberry blonde receptionist whose big eyes look hesitantly between the two, and then they’re out of the building.

It’s cold outside, just grazing below zero celsius. The moon hangs high, incomplete in the sky, casting muted shadows across the landscape. Ten’s breaths puff out and dissolve into nothing as he finds himself being dragged across the parking lot. But he parked in the other direction. Gathering his strength, Ten digs his heels into the ground and yanks at his hand again. “Let the fuck go.” He says again, an edge of warning to his tone.

Jaehyun turns to him, eyes him up and down, and his lips pull into a thin line. “Did you drive here?”

“No, I walked, genius.” Ten sneers. “Of course I drove.”

“Save your snark. I’m trying to have a conversation here.” Jaehyun raises his voice too, agitated. “Is this some elaborate prank with you and Johnny? Why are you here, really? What do you want from me?”

“I don’t want anything from you.” Ten starts, impatience and anger laced in his voice. “I’ve already said this, I came to return your phone, the piece of shit you left in my apartment last night.”

Jaehyun opens his mouth, then closes it, and shakes his head in frustration.

Ten growls. “And if this is a prank, then I don’t know who it’s being played on. I texted you this morning because I wanted to apologize, but lo-and-behold, I see your fucking phone in my apartment. It couldn’t have been anyone else but Johnny, or unless you’ve taken to stalking me and leaving your belongings in my apartment.” He pauses, catching his breath. “So you tell me, what do  _you_ want. Because I’m shit out of ideas.”

The frown on Jaehyun’s forehead deepens. “You’re not making any sense.” He starts.

Ten scoffs. He takes a step closer to Jaehyun. “You can’t possibly deny this. You were at the club. You were with Johnny last night.” He says, tone accusing.

Something in Jaehyun clicks, and he looks at Ten and says quietly, “So what if I was? What’s it to you?”

Ten flinches and pulls back, then he narrows his eyes. “Nothing. It means nothing to me. In fact, I don’t give a flying fuck about any of this.” Ten spits. Jaehyun watches him with wide eyes. He sharply tugs his wrist out of the limp grasp and turns around. “I’m leaving.”

A pause. “Stop running away.” Jaehyun’s voice shouts from behind him. Ten pulls his jacket closer and steadfastly ignores Jaehyun. Every cell in his body is shaking with rage, confusion, hurt. Coming here was a bad idea, the shitties he’s ever had.  _Fuck._ He squeezes his eyes shut and fumbles for his keys.

Which is why he doesn’t see Jaehyun coming up from behind him, trapping him in the small space in between. “I said, stop running away.” Jaehyun says again, quieter. Ten can feel his breath brush against the shell of his ear and suppresses a shiver.

Ten takes a deep breath, then turns around.

“What.” He says, eyes steel-cold.

“I need to talk to you.” Jaehyun starts, expression open and determined. Their breaths mingle as Jaehyun looks at Ten, searching for something in his eyes, then for a split second, drops down to his lips and up again.

It pisses Ten off even more. He stares back defiantly. “I don’t care. Back the fuck up.”

Jaehyun looks frustrated and steps closer, a hand reaching up to Ten’s shoulder and Ten takes a step back, against the car now- before catching himself and dropping his hand again. “Can you just-”

Ten feels his back pressed against his car and growls. “No.”

“Listen-”

With his patience wearing thin, Ten presses a firm palm against Jaehyun’s chest and pushes hard. He doesn’t anticipate for the other to lose balance and stumble backwards- hands instinctively grappling for something to stable himself, and Ten falls victim as he finds himself pitching forward as well. He cradles his injured arm close, body coiled tight in preparation of the impact-

His knees hit the gravel directly, shooting pain up his legs, but instead of the dirt he expected to eat, strong arms are wrapped around him, securing him to the body underneath. Wait, what? A groan escapes Jaehyun’s lips, and Ten’s eyes shoot open, realizing the situation.

“Shit.”

Ignoring the pain, he scrambles up and kneels in front of Jaehyun, hand extended and about to help Jaehyun up before he catches himself, and pulls back. Not knowing what else to do but not willing to leave, he watches warily as Jaehyun lets out another moan, squeezes his eyes shut, then slowly pushes himself up.

“I’m okay, I think.” Jaehyun says, voice pained.

“Not until you go to the doctor’s and check for a concussion will you know for sure. Can you move your head?” He asks. This time, he doesn’t think twice before his hand reaches out to prevent Jaehyun from twisting his neck too much. “Easy there.”

“Ow.” Jaehyun flinches. “Your fingers are cold.”

Ten flinches back as though burned, but collects himself quickly and rolls his eyes. “God forbid you lose motor functions from a fucking fall, only have the brain capacity to complain about cold fucking fingers.” He sneers. “Your head. Can you turn it or not?”

Jaehyun cracks one eye open to glare at Ten, but obediently turns his head. “Slowly.” Ten reminds, eyes trained on Jaehyun’s expression as he turns one way. Then the other. Then back again, this time further.

“How are you feeling? Any dark spots in vision? And your hearing?” Ten fires question after question, and Jaehyun groans and slumps forward.

Alarmed, Ten flusters even more. “What. Don’t scare me. Are you okay?”

Jaehyun presses a palm on his temple and grumbles, “Stop asking so many questions.”

Ten snorts, then leans backwards. “I’ve dealt with way too many concussions in the past to know you should take this seriously. You should see a doctor ASAP.” He advises, wincing as he stands up.

“Aren't you going to come with me?” Jaehyun asks, looking up.

“Why should I?” He blinks incredulously at the other.

Jaehyun opens and closes his mouth, then finds the right words and sputters, “Our conversation- here- I’m not done yet-”

“Well, tough shit. I am.” Ten shakes his head and fishes out his car key.

“I, I need someone to drive me to the hospital.” Jaehyun blurts. Ten shoots him a long, hard look, but he doesn’t say anything, so Jaehyun continues. “You said ASAP, right?”

Worry creases on Ten’s forehead, and Jaehyun almost feels bad for doing this, but the desperation inside won’t ease. “I guess you shouldn’t be driving…” Ten mutters.

Jaehyun nods quickly, then hisses when a wave of dizziness hits him suddenly. Ten's frown deepens. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Ten extends a hand to Jaehyun without thinking.

Jaehyun looks at the offered hand, and reaches up and gets pulled onto his feet. Ten is surprisingly strong, proven when he literally single-handedly shoved the taller Jaehyun to the ground and again, when he easily helps him to his feet.

“Which hospital?” Jaehyun asks, but Ten’s not paying attention to him, he’s checking his watch and frowning. What, did the time personally offend him or something?

“Hold on. Let me make a call.” Ten says distractedly and taps on his phone with lightning fingers.

“...okay?”

“You’re not allergic to cats, right?”

“That’s random, but no?”

Ten watches him while he waits for the call to go through. “Will your car be okay if you left it here overnight?”

“I… think so.”

Ten nods in acknowledgment, then turns away slightly. The call goes through. “Hey, are you home?” Ten asks.

It’s faint, and Jaehyun hears a female voice reply in muffled tones. He shuffles away to give Ten privacy.

“Okay. I’m dropping by for a bit. A... friend fell and hit his head, I’m afraid he might have a concussion.” Ten says, eyes staring at a spot in the distance and pointedly ignoring the man who is staring at him. “I’ll probably be there in twenty minutes. Thanks.”

When he hangs up, he shoots a disapproving look at Jaehyun, before shaking his head and unlocking the car. “Can you walk?”

Jaehyun nods warily as he shuffles to the other side of the car, Ten following suit to open the door. Jaehyun’s cheeks colour. Realizing what he did, Ten clears his throat and looks away. Jaehyun nods a word of thanks as he slips in the car, and Ten closes it gently after him before moving to the driver’s seat.

The ride is quiet save for the engine’s soft rumble.

It feels surreal, to be sitting like this. Not only does Ten feel bad for pushing and possibly injuring Jaehyun, but after everything that’s happened, it just adds one more thing on the list he has to apologize for. In his defense, he doesn’t like being dragged around, doesn’t like being told what to do, doesn’t like being  _cornered-_

If Jaehyun didn’t get so close, forcing him to press against the side of his car to keep their distance... His mood darkens as they continue to drive in silence.

Jaehyun feels uncomfortable again and starts bouncing his leg.

“Stop that.” Ten snipes.

“Hm? Oh, sorry.” Jaehyun flushes and looks away. “Hey, I was right! You do drive a BMW.”

Ten doesn’t need to look to hear the smugness in the other’s voice, and sighs. “Indeed.” He says dryly.

“Where are we going?” Jaehyun asks.

“To see my mom.” He pauses, checks the traffic, and makes a left turn. “Despite the country’s stellar healthcare program, the hospital wait is too long and I’d rather send you home than wait for hours on those uncomfortable, orange, plastic chairs.” Ten explains. Jaehyun hums as he watches Ten drive with one hand. It’s almost an art, how smooth his hand moves. Then the conversation catches up with him.

“Wait. Your mom?” He looks up in alarm.

“She’s a general practitioner.” Ten explains a matter-of-factly.

Jaehyun bites his lip to keep from smiling. “Aren’t we moving a little too fast? Not even a first date and I’m already meeting your parents.”

Ten says nothing, but at the next red light, he slowly eases to a stop and pins Jaehyun with a hard glare, and Jaehyun doubles over in laughter-

“Ow.” He groans, clutching the back of his head.

Ten rolls his eyes. “Trust me, if I had my way you wouldn’t be here right now.” He growls. “She’s dealt with a lot of minor head injuries from my dance crew before, so this isn’t new to her.”

A pause. Then Jaehyun huffs. “I know. I’m grateful for this, really.”

Ten exhales loudly and says nothing, so Jaehyun wisely shuts up too.

For all of two minutes.

“How did you break your arm?” He asks softly.

“During dance practice. And it’s my clavicle.” Ten replies just as quietly.

“Ah.” Then Jaehyun’s eyes widen. “What about the competition?”

Ten frowns. “What about it?”

“Has it happened already? How can you compete-”

“It’s happened. I couldn’t dance. We won second place.” Ten says.

“Oh.”

They fall into a strange silence again. Jaehyun’s about to fidget again but he catches himself in time, and clasps his hands firmly on his lap.

Soon, they pull into the driveway of a medium sized bungalow. Ten turns the car off and reaches for the car handle, but Jaehyun’s hand on his arm pulls him back.

“Can we talk before we go in, please?” He asks.

Ten sighs and turns to him, then looks away quickly. “No. And make this quick. I’ll send you home after.” He says, tone brooking no room for argument as he climbs out of the car.

Jaehyun sighs frustratedly, carding fingers through his hair, but he follows.

When Ten unlocks the front door and steps inside the home, there’s a fat tabby waiting for him on the other side. A woman whose age is only betrayed by the thin lines around her mouth and big eyes emerges to greet them both warmly. Jaehyun can see where Ten gets his features from- his mom is quite beautiful.

The tabby complains loudly, giving Ten the stink-eye for not visiting often enough, then turns haughtily and goes off, probably to maim an unsuspecting centipede. Ten rolls his eyes at the attitude.

“I was starting to wonder when you were going to come in. He was meowing at the door for minutes.” She says, mirth in her eyes.

“Hey mom.” Ten’s lips quirk into a smile as he bends to give his mother a hug, and Jaehyun looks away.

“And who is this?” She directs her attention to Jaehyun.

“He’s-”  
“I’m Jaehyun.” Jaehyun smiles, hand already reaching out.

Ten’s mother looks surprised, but quickly accepts his handshake. “Nice to meet you. You’re so polite.” She comments, eyes bright with amusement. “Nothing like Jisung and Donghyuck.”

“Mom.” Ten rolls his eyes. “Just run him through the tests. It’s getting late.”

“More polite than my own son too, apparently.” She says, eyebrow raised. Nevertheless, she ushers them into her office, which is apparently synonymous to a library, being covered wall to wall, floor to ceiling to with books and loose papers. She gestures Jaehyun to the chair by her desk as takes out a pack of tools. Ten hesitates by the door, he's normally beside Jisung or Donghyuk or Mark already, monitoring the check up with a close eye. But with Jaehyun...

“Is dad home?” He asks instead, bending over to pet the cat, Micah, who is slinking by his ankles, his earlier grudge already forgotten.

“In Chicago.” His mom replies. “Just stay put, this won't take long.”

Ten meets Jaehyun questioning glance, and looks away. “I'm gonna get something to drink.” He announces. “Want anything?”

Jaehyun shakes his head, and his mom starts asking questions and giving him instructions after that, so Ten slips out.

The kitchen has been renovated since he last visited. It looks clean, modern, and he spends almost five minutes looking for a glass.  _Christ_. Finally he settles on a stool with a tall glass of water, letting the events catch up with him.

Jaehyun’s in his fucking house.

He doesn’t even want to see the other boy, and yet he’s somehow in his house. With his mom. Getting an impromptu check up and from the sounds of it, talking (mostly her) and giggling (again, mostly her) about god knows what. He hopes baby photos aren't involved.

Ten scowls, sipping on the water, then checks his phone, eager to be distracted from his current predicament. He’s typing a reply to a work email when Micah lands softly on the counter and stares at his human. He looks up with a jump.

“Holy- fuck. I should put a bell on you so you can’t sneak up on me like that.” He mutters, scratching the cat behind his ears. Micah meows, then after a few more scratches, starts purring loudly and rolls onto his side, wearing a content expression on his chubby face.

Ten scratches his back and belly obediently.

“Ah. Wish I could be a cat too.” Ten mutters. “Just eat, get pampered, and not have to worry about a single damn thing.”

Micah looks at his human again, licks his nose, like saying,  _You’re a strange one, human._

Ten frowns and reaches for the forepaws. “Don’t give me that look. I cleaned your litter box for the first five years of your life. You should be thankful.” He says, playing with the little pink paw beans.

Micah yawns and resumes purring.

The sound is meditative, coupled with the stillness around Ten after a long and hectic day, pulls him deep into his thoughts again. Ten knows there’s no delaying the inevitable. He and Jaehyun will talk… but only after his mom makes sure Jaehyun isn’t going to die from the concussion. Guilt pools in his stomach and the corners of his mouth turn down. Sensing his change of mood, Micah jumps to his feet and presses his body against Ten’s hand, then rubs his face against Ten’s chest. This big affectionate baby.

“You were always his favourite.” Comments his mom from behind. She approaches with Jaehyun a few paces behind, whose smiling face shifts to looking awkwardly out of place when he meets Ten’s eyes.

Ten doesn’t stop scratching the cat, who is now in a ball in the crook of his arm. “Probably because you and dad were too busy to take care of him, and Sooyeon regularly terrifies him.” He replies quietly, words muffled by the fur that’s quite suddenly shoved in his face.

His mom clears her throat. “Jaehyun is okay,” She starts, “Nothing serious. Just a bump on the head. I told him if something were to change he could come see me, since he doesn’t have a family doctor.”

“I’m healthy most of the time.” Jaehyun explains sheepishly. “So I just do drop-ins when I get really sick.”

Ten’s mom smiles. “It’s a good thing you’re aware and take good care of your health and well being. I can’t say the same for Ten here.” She says, giving Ten a meaningful side glance.

Ten snorts, and Micah, having gotten enough affection from his favourite human, moves away and starts grooming himself. “Accidents happen.” Ten explains uselessly. What the hell, is today gang-up-on-Ten day?

“You push yourself too hard.” His mom chides.

“Runs in the family.” He shrugs with one arm. She sighs and approaches her son.

“How’s your arm?” She asks.

“It okay, it’s getting better now.” He replies, ignoring Jaehyun’s blatant staring.

“Finished the antibiotics?”

“Two days ago.”

“Do you have enough pain killers?”

“Yeah. I’ll let you know if I need more.” Ten reassures his mom, who nods, satisfied with his answers.

“Come back for dinner some time.” She says finally, placing a well-intentioned hand on his larger one.

Ten ducks his head and nods. “I’ll see. Work’s been pretty busy until recently.” He mutters.

“Ah. Work again.” His mom snorts, turning to Jaehyun. “You’d think that if one of them follows their father’s footsteps, the other would follow their mom’s. Life’s not fair.” She complains without heat.

“Mom.” Ten groans in embarrassment while Jaehyun chuckles.

“I already feel bad you’ve had to deal with this one for all of twenty one years.” He says, eyes crinkling into an infectious smile. Ten looks away as he feels the heat crawl to his cheeks. He hopes it’s not that apparent.

“He’s not that bad. Imagine three of him, except the other two are even more neurotic at times.” She smirks, and Ten really does bury his face in his hands.  _This is so fucking surreal, why is this happening._

“I don’t think I can. All I can say is I’m very sorry.” Jaehyun smirks back, and his mom laughs loudly.

“Alright. Enough chatter. It’s getting late and you should probably be on your way.” She says with an easy smile, and the two boys nod in agreement, one more eagerly than the other. They’re at the door, putting their shoes back on while Micah lays a few paces behind, observing them with perked ears.

“Thanks for tonight. I’ll message you about dinner.” Ten says as he steps close and gives his mom a tight hug, which she returns with full force.

“See to it.” She says, voice edged with a motherly loving warning.

Jaehyun is a few steps behind, smiling at her as well. “Thank you for the check up, Mrs. Lee.”

She smiles and nods. “Any time. Give me a call if you feel off- headache, seeing random flashes of white, loss of hearing, loss of balance, trouble with memory.” She lists off, and Jaehyun nods away like the good kid he is. Ten almost rolls his eyes.

“I will.” He promises, smile bright and easy. His mom nods and ushers them out, closing the door behind them.

When they get back on his car, Ten’s act drops immediately. “Did you have to get that friendly? She’s my mom.” He says, feeling strangely possessive.

Jaehyun laughs. “She’s a wonderful mom. You’re so lucky. I’m happy for you.” He says, eyes crinkling in a very attractive way again, and Ten looks away, suddenly remembering Jaehyun’s situation.

“Hm. She likes you.” He says instead.

“Who wouldn’t?” Jaehyun chuckles, low and amused. Ten rolls his eyes, but keeps his mouth shut. “Except for you, I guess.” He adds, almost too quiet for Ten to catch.

Ten doesn’t have an answer, he’s trying to broach the topic but finds it hard. Finally, he opens his mouth-

“Do you hate me?-”  
“I’m sorry-”

They freeze, looking at each other. “What?” Jaehyun asks.

“I’m sorry. For shoving you and for... before. I'm -” Ten bites his lip. “I'm in no position to judge what- um- you. Just you. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. I’m sorry.” Ten stutters. He looks at Jaehyun, whose expression looks between a cross of surprise and disbelief- then he turns away again.

A silence follows, and Ten’s grip on the steering wheel tightens.

“Nevermind. Let’s g-”

“I’m sorry too, I shouldn’t have pushed you either.” The words tumble out of Jaehyun’s mouth. Ten looks up, but Jaehyun doesn’t meet his gaze, he’s staring at his hands. “I could’ve been more understanding, I wasn’t thinking properly. I’d thought-” He stops.

Ten holds his breath.

Jaehyun runs his tongue against his teeth, choosing his words carefully as emotions expand somewhere under his ribs. “I’d thought that I pushed you to do something you didn’t want to do. And that you didn’t want to talk to me anymore. Or that you hated me.”

Ten studies Jaehyun for a beat, then shakes his head. “I’d thought the same for you.” He admits quietly. Jaehyun looks up and watches him intently, then he smiles softly. Ten turns away, looking out the window.

“I just wanted for us to be okay again.” Jaehyun says. “If I didn’t stop you, we would’ve never had this conversation.”

Ten chews on his lip. “I,” He pauses. “I know. I don’t handle spontaneous happenstances well.” He steals a glance at Jaehyun, then looks straight ahead again.

“I know.” Jaehyun responds just as softly.

Ten inhales, then lets out a shaky breath. “For the longest time I’ve never given people, relationships, romance any thought. I kind of just thought of myself as asexual and went on with life. I was surprised when-” He crimsons. “-I didn’t know how to react. It’s a little overboard now when I think back.”

Jaehyun quirks his lip, but otherwise stays quiet.

“To be honest, I’m not sure how to proceed from here. What does ‘being okay’ even mean for us?” Ten asks. “I have no reason to call you anymore; in fact, I shouldn’t have asked for your number in the first place. What happened was… probably not supposed to happen.”

Something inside Jaehyun breaks, half lodges in his stomach, the other painfully in his throat. Ten doesn’t see Jaehyun’s expression though, he’s too enthralled in the moment.

“I didn’t understand. I still don’t. I don’t know what you want-”

“I-”

“-since we’ve never talked about this, which is partially my fault for not acknowledging this sooner. But even then, our conversations never branch from our daily lives. Sorry, were you going to say something?”

Jaehyun stares at Ten helplessly as their eyes meet, and Ten tilts his head in question. Sure, he’s told himself he’d take whatever he could get. And this, coming from Ten, is not exactly a yes, but it isn’t a no. And if there are no second chances, then he’ll just have to make the first count.

“I like you.” Jaehyun says.

Ten looks at him in shock, a deep flush blooming on his cheeks in seconds.

He’s rendered speechless, or doesn’t know how to respond, so Jaehyun pushes forward. “I don’t know what we are either. I’m not in a hurry to label us as anything, unless you are. When I said I wanted for us to be okay, I just want to talk to you like we used to. I miss our conversations.”  _And you_ , he wants to add, but doesn’t.

Ten shakes his head, quickly coming back to his senses. “W-wait, when you said like-”

“I like you, as a person whose conversations I look forward to. As a person whose silences are equally enjoyable. As a person whose motivation and energy inspire me to also strive for my own success. You’re right, we have a lot to learn from each other, but I want for the opportunity to spend more time with you. And I’ll take what I can get.” Jaehyun finishes, eyes bright, cheeks dusty pink and staring intently at Ten.

Who is feeling rather faint at the moment.

“This is too much for a day.” He manages to say. He cradles his forehead in two hands and groans.

Jaehyun raises an eyebrow, the corner of mouth quirks into a lopsided grin. “Should I apologize?” He huffs in amusement.

“Maybe.” Ten replies, not entirely joking. He shoots a side glance at Jaehyun. “I think I need to sleep on this.”

“Do you want me to drive you back?” Jaehyun offers teasingly.

“And willingly handing my car keys over? I don’t trust you that much.” Ten scoffs, but still very much in a state of shock.

Shakily, he starts his car, puts it on reverse, and pulls out of the driveway.

“Oh. And one more thing.” Jaehyun starts.

Ten meets his eyes cautiously from the corner of his own, like,  _Oh god, what now?_

“It’s about last night.” He says.

Ah.

Ten exhales slowly, and swallows the lump in his throat. “It’s none of my business,” He says, “You don’t need to explain yourself to me. You owe me nothing.”

Jaehyun measures Ten’s words for a moment, then smiles to himself while shaking his head. “I didn’t stay the night. Yes, I left the club with Johnny, but after a short drive, I decided to go home, so he dropped me off.” Jaehyun explains as he watches the frown lines on Ten’s forehead open to another expression of shock. It’s actually pretty funny. “It was an accident, how he ended up with my phone.”

There’s a tense moment of silence in the car, then Ten sputters a creative string of expletives for a solid minute. Both of Jaehyun’s eyebrows reach their peak towards the end.

“-Wow. I can’t believe this.” Ten ends, heaving and looking slightly maniacal.

Jaehyun almost laughs out loud. Almost.

“I knew he had a thing for tooting his own horn, but this is- Fuck.” Ten speeds past a yellow light. Jaehyun subtly moves his hands to wrap firmly around his seatbelt, and starts praying.

“Uh. Everything still okay, right?” He asks.

“I might have to murder him. In fact, I should murder them all.” Ten mutters.

“All?” Jaehyun’s eyes widen.  _Who else?_

So Ten retells the story about everything, absolutely everything with Hansol and Yuta, and Sooyeon and Doyoung and Taeyong and by the end, Jaehyun is thanking all sorts of gods, again, that he makes it back to his apartment safely, and is convinced that Ten should probably not drive in this emotional state.

“Maybe you should stay the night-” Jaehyun starts.

“No. I’m going back to my apartment.” Ten says resolutely.

“I’m not sure that that’s a good idea...” Jaehyun trails.

“I’m going back. And when I see him, I’m going to kill him.” Ten repeats robotically. “I’m going to kill them all.”

Jaehyun pauses… and clears his throat awkwardly. “I think I broke you.” He says, not believing himself either. “Okay. That’s it. I don’t want others blood on my hands. You’re staying.”

“No. Get out of my car. I’m going home.” He growls and turns to Jaehyun, then blushes almost immediately, and turns away again.

_Huh._

“You’re being illogical. At least come in for some tea and calm the fuck down. You almost killed us coming here.” Jaehyun tries to reason.

If Ten were a cat, the fur on his back would be bristling. “I so did not! I’m a perfectly safe driver.” He retorts.

“-and lacking in all the self-reflection to actually be safe. Park your car in my spot. Have some tea. Then go back.”  _And I’ll make sure Johnny has his door firmly locked when you go back_ , Jaehyun thinks to himself, already typing up a message.

Johnny replies almost instantly, with a big laughing face and the message “Aw, I’m so happy you care ;)”

Jaehyun begins to wonder if either of them are sane.

He almost has to force Ten out of his seat to park the car himself, but through a weird threatening game- (“If you don’t get out of my car, I’m going to kill you too.” “If you don’t park your car, I’m going to tell your mom about our phone call. In specifics and quotes. I have her number.” “Oh god WHY.” “Just park the damn car Ten.”) Ten’s car is safely parked and they’re currently sitting on Jaehyun’s bed, sipping on barley green tea.

After ten minutes of silence, and Ten’s pupils looking much less dilated, his expression much less murderous, Jaehyun opens his mouth-

“I’m not staying the night.” Ten says quietly.

Jaehyun frowns, then shrugs.

“I wasn’t going to offer.” He lies with a smile. Ten narrows his eyes suspiciously.

“There aren’t sedatives in this tea, are there?” He looks down at the porcelain cup in his hands.

“Stop being so suspicious of everything.” Jaehyun rolls his eyes. He subtly toes the box of the decaf barley green tea under his bed.

Ten stares intently at the tea for another minute, then sighs and puts it down and curls into a ball.

“This is officially the longest and weirdest day of my life.” He mumbles into the back of his arm.

Jaehyun studies him for a moment.

“You need to relax.” He says uselessly. “Drink more tea.”

“What I need is a break from life.” Ten mutters. “And sleep.”

“Then sleep.” Jaehyun nods at the bed.

Ten flushes at his frankness, and turns away. “I said, I’m not going to stay the night-”

“I don’t want you to go on a murdering rampage tonight, knowing I can prevent it. Plus, it’s late and you’re tired. I have an extra sleeping bag, so I’ll sleep on the floor. Your virtue is safe with me.” Jaehyun reasons, however useless it is. They both know they’ve already passed that point, and Ten blushes in memory of it, but it placates him all the same, so he nods hesitantly.

“I can take the floor.” He offers, eyeing warily at the dust bunnies.

Jaehyun pins him with a look, then raises an eyebrow slowly. Ten looks away, hiding his blush.

 _Not as unaffected as he thought,_ Jaehyun observes. Jaehyun knows he said he wouldn’t push… but.

“Ten?”

“Hm?”

He also said he’d take what he could.

“You trust me, right?” He smiles disarmingly, dimple and all.

Ten narrows his eyes and crosses his arms. “For some reason, I feel like I should say no.”

“Let me give you a massage.”

Ten’s eyes widen comically. “I really don’t think that’s a good idea.” He’s shaking his head too. It’s cute.

Jaehyun moves closer, keeping his smile firmly in place. “It’s a great idea, for relaxing and stuff.”

Ten is avoiding any eye contact now. “Don’t make this weird.”

Jaehyun frowns. “What do you mean?”

Ten stares at this spot on his wall and says, “Like, one of those, Look, I rubbed your back for you and it felt great. Want to see what else I can rub?”

Jaehyun’s left eye twitches. “...I don’t want to assume, but I think it’s safe to say you’re kind of fucked up.”

Ten looks at him again- then away. “...blame Yuta.” He says to his feet.

“Uh.” Jaehyun starts, wondering if he’ll regret this.

“He does this thing-” Ten begins to explain.

Jaehyun holds his hand up in alarm. “I really don’t think it’s a good idea to share your friend’s sexual encounters with strangers, aka me. If you don’t want a massage, I won’t force it on you. Likewise, if you don’t want to stay the night, don’t. I just think you need a breather from everything, and I appreciate a good massage from time to time, so I extended the invite to you.”

Ten looks at him again like the first time when he said he wanted to resume their relationship, with disbelief and overwhelm, so Jaehyun clears his throat.

“Maybe it’s time to get you home-”  
“I-okay.”

“What?” They both say. This time, Jaehyun starts first.

“If this is making you uncomfortable, you can go.” He says straightly.

“Oh.” Ten pauses. “Then what about the massage?”

Jaehyun frowns. “The offer is on the table, it’s not disappearing anytime soon. So take your time.”

“Oh.” Ten chews on his lip. “What if I want it now?”

Inside, Jaehyun’s heart thumps a little harder. It may not be the only thing that thumped.

“Please don’t use that voice.” He manages to say, clearing his throat. “Just turn around.”

“What voice?”

“Nothing… Just turn around.” He repeats firmly, burying his thoughts.

“Okay.” Ten turns around obediently.

Jaehyun’s bigger hands are strong and experienced. Ten’s eyes are firmly closed within a minute, then he’s asleep in ten. Jaehyun sighs and checks the time. Just past twelve. No wonder why Ten’s acting so strange, it’s past his bedtime. Like that’s the most obvious reasoning for his out-of-character-ness.

Jaehyun shakes his head. He rolls out a sleeping bag, turns off the lights, and crawls into the cocoon.

...

After a few minutes of silence, he hears some shuffling from above.

“Jaehyun?” He asks, voice thick from sleep.

“Yes?”

“I- Okay. Let’s spend more time. Like. To get to know each other.”

Jaehyun smiles to himself. “Okay.” He replies.

They drift into a comfortable silence, before Ten shuffles around a bit more.

“Jaehyun?”

“Hm?”

“Can I brush my teeth?”

“...”

“Jae?”

“...I don’t think i have an extra toothbrush, but I do have Listerine and floss. Bathroom is the first door on your right.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“Don’t ste-OW. Dude. What the hell.” Jaehyun sits up, clutching onto his upper thigh. That’s too fucking close to his family jewels for comfort.

“Oh. Sorry.”

“It’s not even that dark. Are you blind?”

“Maybe not sleep on the ground next time?”

“Unless you want to share the bed?”

“Nope nevermind bathroom bye.”

“I thought so.”

The door opens and closes, and Jaehyun eyes it wryly, hearing the tap turn on and off, before the lights click off again and Ten re-emerges into the room.

“Oh. You’re still up.” Ten say, startled.

“To make sure I don’t get stepped on a second time.” Jaehyun says dryly.

“It was just once.” Ten brushes it off. Still, he exercises a degree of caution toeing around the sleeping bag on the ground and jumping onto the bed.

“You almost kicked my balls.”

“It’s fine you’re not going to die.” Jaehyun can hear the smirk in Ten’s voice.

“You do realize that you’re in my room, on my bed.” He growls.

Ten’s breath hitches, then there’s some shuffling. “Don’t make this weird.” He mutters, voice muffled.

“... Fine. I’m going to wash up too.”

“...Okay.”

“Totally jerking off in there.”

“Don’t make this weird.”

“Totally thinking about you when I do.”

“JAE.”

Jaehyun snickers and leaves the room. When he comes back a few minutes later, Ten can’t help but say: “That was fast.”

“Are you sure you want to keep talking like that.” Jaehyun asks, voice low and dripping with sexual intent.

Ten freezes, and feels his face heat up in moments. All of a sudden everything clicks into place, and he realizes what exactly it is that he finds Jaehyun attractive.  _Shit._ “Um.”

Jaehyun sighs, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. “Ten, go to sleep.”

He sits up slowly, trying to ignore a growing problem. “On second thought, maybe I should go home…”

Jaehyun sighs impatiently. “Stop overthinking and go to sleep.” He says sternly.

Ten flinches, then shuffles closer against the bed. “Okay…”

“Night night, Ten.”

“Good night, Jae.”

Needless to say, it takes Ten much longer to fall asleep.

 


	10. Chapter 10

Ten buries his face into the soft fabrics of the pillow and inhales deeply. A soft, sweet scent fills his lungs, and he feels the heat of the sun on his face, spreading through his body and warming him from the core. He hasn’t been able to wake up naturally in a very long time that when he does, it becomes a treat all on its own. He pushes the covers low, a thinner blanket than his own, rolls to the other side to find a cool patch, and goes back to sleep.

A thinner blanket… hm.

“Yes, food poisoning. It was probably something he ate last night. Oh, was he with you? And you’re okay?” A pause. “Well, I’m not sure then. But he definitely cannot go to work today. Yes. Violently ill. Projectile vomit and all. Yes, I’m sure. We’d gone to the doctor’s last night already. He needs a day of rest.” Another long pause. “Thank you. Have a nice day.”

Ten cracks an eye open at the figure sitting on the chair by the desk and window, then counts to a hundred to calm his heart. Taeyong isn’t enough when you’re in the same room as Jaehyun.

…

When he’s finally done, he breathes in deeply again, then sits up.

Jaehyun’s on his computer, softly typing something in a document, and two books out on either side of the laptop.

“Did I wake you?” He asks quietly without turning his head. The typing stills momentarily as he thinks of what to write, the resumes in a stream of soft clicks.

“No.” Ten responds. “Who were you speaking to on the phone?”

“Your sister. I figured she could call in for you to request a day off, since she knows the in’s and out’s of your industry. It’s still early, go back to sleep.” Jaehyun replies in soft, even tones. When he finishes typing a sentence he turns to Ten, and Ten’s breath is caught in his throat again.

The morning light streams through the cracks of the blinds and gives Jaehyun’s profile a really soft look. He’s changed into his pyjamas, a pair of soft looking black sweat pants and an old t-shirt that looks equally well-worn and comfortable. His hair sticks out in little curls, making him look even more endearing and real. The most surprising of all are probably the gold wireframe glasses that are perched on his nose...

God. No one who just rolled out bed should look this good.

He clears his throat and looks at his hands instead.

“How do you even know my sister’s number?” He asks.

“I used your phone.” Jaehyun smirks. “You probably shouldn’t use  _Rest to Unlock_ as the last line of defense, especially if you do your banking on your phone.”

Ten glares at the other man, who raises his hands in mock surrender. “It’s just a lucky guess. I didn’t actually look through it.” He promises.

“I should go to work.” Ten suppresses the nervousness in his stomach and makes a move to get out of bed. This feels strange, and altogether too intimate. How do these things work? Shouldn’t he have sneaked out at dawn or something? Why did Jaehyun wake up so damn early.

Jaehyun moves to block Ten’s path. He’s frowning slightly, a mix of concern and frustration reflected in his eyes. “I already made an excuse for you to rest for a day, so just take it to rest. You’re an intern, you’re not supposed to work yourself to death yet.” He says softly.

“It’s not good to lie.” He replies, trying for nonchalance. “I’m fine.”

He moves past Jaehyun to get his phone and checks the time. 7:20 am. Enough time to go home, take a shower, and go to work. He’s already calculating the fastest route in his head when Jaehyun reaches for his arm.

“You’ve said before that you’re caught up on projects. Your arm is in a cast. Just take the day off.” Jaehyun tries to convince the other.

“I don’t want to seem like I slack just because I can.” Ten rolls his eyes. “Let’s not do this again.”

“C’mon, just one day.” Jaehyun whines, or as much as one can with a low rumble of a voice.

Ten rolls his eyes and turns to look at the other. “You’re such a bad influence. I’m starting to reconsider spending more time with you.” He says, face unamused.

“Then- how about this, spend the day with me.” Jaehyun suggests.

Ten looks at him dubiously, and asks, “Why would I do that?”

“Just say yes.” Jaehyun flashes a dimpled smile, and Ten feels his resolve weaken.

“Again, why would I do that?” Ten repeats, impatient.

“I haven’t led you astray so far. Don’t you trust me?” Jaehyun raises an eyebrow.

“That’s an emotional hostage question, and it’s unfair.” Ten scowls.

“Answer the question.”

“Then answer mine first.”

“I already have.” Jaehyun levels him with a look of quiet amusement. “You need to rest. You may not see it, but everyone around you does. In fact, they’ve probably told you in some way or another. So take the day off, do something you enjoy, and go back well-rested and refreshed tomorrow. The world of finance won’t collapse without a day of you.”

Ten opens his mouth, then closes it, and Jaehyun rolls his eyes.

“If you go home right now you’ll definitely go to work. If you go home later, you’ll probably get stir crazy from feeling trapped and having nothing to do.” Jaehyun reasons. “So spend the day with me. It’s not that interesting, I have one class in a few hours. But maybe we can find something to do before you have to go back. Or you can sleep for the rest of the day.”

Finally, Ten clears his throat and looks away. “That’s kind of creepy, that you can guess these things about me.” Ten mutters to the wall.

The corners of Jaehyun’s mouth tugs upwards. “Well, they’re just guesses, so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. You just don’t seem to be to vocal about your thoughts, so I thought I’d help out a little.” Jaehyun supplies.

“I’ll work on that.” Ten grumbles.

They pause, and Ten considers his options for a moment. “So? Have I changed your mind yet?” Jaehyun asks, looking at Ten expectantly.

Ten meets his eyes, then nods. “...Fine.” He concedes. He feels his legs give, and falls gracelessly back onto the mattress in a seated position. Jaehyun pulls his chair over and takes a seat in front of him, his face breaking into an easy smile.

“Sweet, I was worried I overstepped my boundaries. Sorry for making that call for you.” He says.

Ten ducks his head and plays with the seam on his sleeve. “It’s fine. You’re right, I would’ve probably worked myself to the bone.”

“And you don’t have much to lose, as it is.” Jaehyun comments, giving him a not-so-subtle once-over. Ten flushes bright red.

“That was so unnecessary.” He sneers, not meeting Jaehyun’s eyes, but crossing his arms protectively around himself anyway.

“I’m kidding. You’re good just the way you are.” Jaehuyn chuckles.

“Please don’t break into a Bruno Mars song.” Ten says dryly.

“You should be so lucky. I have a great singing voice. All of my songs in karaoke get 100 scores.” Jaehyun shoots back, amused.

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Ten challenges.

“Are you just trying to make me serenade to you?” Jaehyun lifts a single brow.

“What, no.” Ten looks away. Jaehyun grins.

“Fine. Let’s trade. If you dance for me, I'll sing for you.” Jaehyun says.

Ten rolls his eyes. “Sure. Just come to dance practice.”

Jaehyun tuts. “But if you’re the only audience I’m singing to, then I should be the only person you dance for.”

“Then I guess we’ve reached a stalemate.” Ten says, deadpanned.

“I’ll change your mind, just watch me.” Jaehyun says with confidence, a twinkle in his eye.

Ten rolls his eyes.  _That's what I was afraid of._ “What are you working on?” He asks instead, gesturing to the mess across Jaehyun’s desk.

“An assignment. It’s not due for another day, so I have some time to write and make edits.” He says, shuffling back to his desk. Ten follows him.

“Can I read it?”

Jaehyun looks on curiously. “Sure, but you might get bored. It’s for a film studies class, and I’m writing about the importance of the choice of life in the realm of science, quoting movies like Gattaca, Matrix and Wall•E.”

Ten moves to behind Jaehyun, leans over and scans the essay quickly. “I would’ve never expected those movies to be mentioned in the same context, but I can see where you’re going with this. Though I’ve never seen Gattaca before.” He says finally. “It sounds pretty interesting.” He turns to Jaehyun, who is smiling up at him again.

Ten coughs and shuffles away. “Do you normally smile this much? It’s creepy.”

“It’s weird. The thing you said last night about this feeling surreal. I never would’ve thought our phone conversations would lead to in-person ones.” Jaehyun admits, turning fully to Ten, who is on the bed again. “Or maybe I just like creeping you out.” He grins cheekily.

Ten rolls his eyes, and finds a spot on the wall suddenly very interesting. “Mission accomplished, ‘cause that was definitely creepy.”

Jaehyun chuckles lightly. “By the way, I should’ve offered last night, but do you want to change to more comfortable clothes? This is weird, but I remember you saying that you liked wearing your pj’s when you’re at home, or something.”

It’s been lowkey bothering Ten, more so because he’s worn these clothes out, and if he’s in bed he doesn’t want to dirty the bed with his ‘ _outside clothes_ ’- did that make sense? He eyes at the laptop and the open books.

“Will we be staying here long?” He asks slowly.

“We don’t have to. Or we can watch Gattaca, if you’re interested.” Jaehyun says.

“Oh, okay.” Ten looks down at his black turtleneck and slacks, and suddenly feels cheated of the comfort he could’ve had since last night… at least he got to brush his teeth. What? Oral hygiene is important. “Then… yes, something more comfortable would be nice.” He says finally.

Jaehyun nods and shuffles to his dresser, pulling out armfuls of clothing into a pile on the bed, and Ten feels a mild itch to fold and put everything away neatly again.

“I have just one body, if you haven’t realized.” He says, eyeing at the growing pile with concern.

“I’ll put them away again, don’t worry.” Jaehyun says. “Maybe try this on?” He lifts up a brown striped sweater, which probably makes him look like a model, and everyone else a dad potato.

Ten quirks an eyebrow at the choice. Jaehyun flushes. “Okay fine, look for something yourself then,” He gives up and waves at his dresser in embarrassment, moving back to lean against his desk and watching Ten with bruised pride.

Ten rummages around before finding a baggy black Thrasher tee, more than a little stretched around the collar, shrugs, and pulls off his black turtleneck in a smooth motion. He hears a quick inhale, and forgets momentarily that this isn’t your typical change room situation. He hides his embarrassment, quickly pulling the t-shirt on, and clears his throat.

“Ah, sorry.” He says, biting back a hesitant smile. “Didn’t know you were allergic to the sight of skin.”

“A warning would be nice.” Jaehyun mumbles, finding the book to be really interesting all of a sudden.

Ten quirks an eyebrow. “For someone who works as a phone sex operator…”

“If you’re going to finish that sentence implying that I have less experience than you, do it and see what happens.” Jaehyun growls, a blush dusting his cheeks, shooting a heated glance at Ten, who smirks back.

“Nevermind then.” He sing-songs, then turns back to look for a pair of sweatpants.

Jaehyun makes a quiet strangled sound and rushes to his feet. “I’m gonna make coffee. Would you like some?”

“Yes please.”

Jaehyun hurries out of the room, and Ten finally has some space to himself. This dynamic is so unique, there are no rules to dictate how he should act, what he should be. Ten finds a pair of grey drawstring sweatpants and pulls them on before Jaehyun can walk in on him- he has a feeling Jaehyun will appreciate his thoughtfulness.

Ten doesn’t dislike the buzz of endorphins and oxytocin under his skin, though. Having control in a sexually charged situation  _is_ thrilling… enough to give him ideas. It’s something he wants to explore and learn more of- with Jaehyun, about himself and the other. He pushes down the feelings that surge up- now  _that_ would complicate matters.

He hears the coffee machine grind the beans, and Jaehyun enters the room again… blushes, and splutters and quickly steps out of the room.

Ten looks down. Oh. The shirt wasn’t tucked properly and a slit of hip was visible-

“While this is unfamiliar territory for me, this doesn’t stop making you look like the blushing virgin in the situation.” Ten comments as he fixes his clothes, then he sees a pair of socks and gives them a long consideration.

“Just tell me you’ve put everything on properly. Please.” Comes the pained voice from outside.

“I have. I don’t need to cover my ankles, right?” Ten asks sarcastically.

Jaehyun walks in, sees that Ten is properly dressed, flushes deep crimson again, but he doesn’t look away this time.

“If this makes you uncomfortable I can just go.” Ten offers. Jaehyun shakes his head.

“No. Just. You look really good in my clothes.” Jaehyun says, giving no other explanation. Ten shrugs.

“They’re just clothes, I don’t know what the big deal is.” He mutters, playing with the bottom seam of the tee as he looks down, twisting this way and that.

Jaehyun lets out an exasperated sigh, but his expression is one of light amusement. “Then you don’t have a good idea of what others see when they see you. You probably don’t see yourself clearly.” Jaehyun says, carding a hand through his hair.

“What?” Ten asks, not really understanding Jaehyun’s words.

Jaehyun chews his lips and considers his words for a moment. Then finally, he says, “You do realize how attractive you are, right?”

Ten blinks owlishly, doubt written across his face. When he sees that Jaehyun is serious, he’s suddenly reminded that the other had said something similar on the phone during… and he looks away and coughs into a fist, ignoring the blush creeping up his neck.

“By all means, keep praising my good looks. But I’m pretty sure your opinion is biased at this point.” He plays it off coolly. Jaehyun rolls his eyes and brings the laptop to the bed.

“I’ve never met someone I complimented at point blank, and they still refuse to accept it.” Jaehyun mumbles to himself.

“What’s that?”

Jaehyun meets Ten’s eyes as he opens the Movies folder, then looks for Gattaca. “Nothing. So, movie first?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you want something to eat?”

“No thanks. Oh wait. Bathroom.” Ten shoots out of bed.

“Mm. I’ll wait.”

When Ten comes back, the bed is clear from the pile of clothes, the pillows and covers have stacked up and formed a cozy looking nest, with Jaehyun in the middle. Unfamiliar territory indeed.

“Is this what happens to everyone?” He blurts, pausing by the closed door.

Jaehyun looks at him, then around, and gestures him to sit on the bed. Ten approaches hesitantly.

“I’m not sure, either. But I’m feeling pretty comfortable. What about you?” Jaehyun asks, eyes searching.

Ten chews on his lips and looks at the distance between him and Jaehyun. “I… think so.” He says.

“Then let’s just see how this goes? And let me know if something bothers you?” Jaehyun suggests with a hopeful tilt to his voice. Ten studies his face, then nods.

“Okay.”

So they start the movie. But it’s a dramatic sci-fi, none of the explosions and action scenes that Ten’s used to, so somewhere half an hour into it, he falls asleep. Jaehyun notices a few minutes later, when Ten’s breathing evens, his body relaxed with slight tremors ever so often, and smiles to himself.

He goes back to his essay.

The second time Ten wakes up, it’s almost 10 and Jaehyun’s shaking his shoulder gently.

“Hey.” Says the taller man.

Ten inhales deeply, and catches a scent of something clean and fresh, like aftershave. When he sees the tips of Jaehyun’s hair is wet, puts the two together and realize he’s drifted off.

“Mm… I fell asleep, didn’t I?” Ten asks, burrowing himself into the blankets even more to hide his blushing face.

“That’s how tired you were.” Jaehyun chuckles softly. “I’m heading out to school in a bit. Did you want to come along or stay here and get more sleep?” He asks.

After a minute of consideration, Ten decides to go with Jaehyun. It feels weird to be in Jaehyun’s apartment when he’s not there, not to mention he doesn’t actually want to sleep the day away. “How much time do we have? Can I take a quick shower? The gel in my hair is starting to irritate my scalp.”

Jaehyun nods readily. “We have about twenty minutes if you don’t mind driving us. I’ll get a towel for you.” He pauses. “If you’re hungry, we can pick up something quick on the way over or coming back. The lecture is two hours long.”

“Sure.” Ten agrees. He moves to the bathroom.

Five minutes later he re-emerges with a towel around his shoulders, hair still damp, wearing Jaehyun’s clothes, and looking much softer than anything Jaehyun’s ever seen. A feeling curls up inside his chest and expands quite momentously. He can't stop staring.

“Something wrong?” Ten asks, rubbing the side of his head rigorously.

“Oh! Um. Nothing.” Jaehyun says, turning back to the essay on his laptop.

Ten frowns, but shrugs it off, and announces quite loudly. “I’m going to change now.” Jaehyun stills, but doesn't dare look back.

A minute later, he calls, “I’m done now.” with a degree of sarcasm, and a degree of teasing.

Jaehyun releases a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, and turns. Back in his black turtleneck and slacks, Ten looks every bit delectable and chic, and his hair is still dripping. He notices Jaehyun’s stare, and walks over. “What?”

“Can I kiss you?”

Huh?

“Uh.” Ten splutters.

Jaehyun stands to his full height, a few inches taller than Ten, and repeats his question.

Tenoyng blushes, but he nods, and Jaehyun gently collects his chin in his hand, the other on Ten’s hip, and steps into his space. Their hearts are beating fast now, breaths in short staccato. Ten closes his eyes, and Jaehyun leans in.

The first press of skin sends electric shocks through their bodies, but Jaehyun doesn’t stop there, he presses closer, again, and the second time grows the seed planted, and then the third press, and the feelings expand to bursting point.

Ten’s uninjured hand instinctively reaches around Jaehyun’s neck, pulling him closer as he chases the feeling, letting out a small breath as he presses up again, and their tongues meet. Something clicks into place inside of Ten as the kiss draws out and pushes a little more each time, something solid and warm and dependable.

And then the back of Jaehyun’s legs meet the mattress, and he falls down, with Ten above him.

They pause in this position, hovering, before Jaehyun tugs Ten lower and their lips meet again, shuffling to a more comfortable position like Ten is almost shielding Jaehyun. A larger hand presses gently against Ten’s neck, before moving up to his nape and pulling him closer still. Ten’s hand is cupping Jaehyun’s face as he places open-mouthed kisses on the other.

When they break apart for a breath, their eyes meet again, open and trusting. Jaehyun smiles softly, and Ten blushes and borrows his face in Jaehyun’s chest.

“Your class.” He mumbles into soft fabric and warm skin.

“I don’t have to go.” Jaehyun mutters, a hand on Ten’s hip, holding him there. The other hand brushes gentle circles on his nape. How he knows all of the spots to help relax Ten is beyond him, but their breaths even out eventually.

Both ignoring the mounting problem beneath them.

“But you should go, probably. Aren’t midterms around the corner?” Ten says, while his hips ground down, seemingly running on another agenda of their own.

Jaehyun hisses lowly. “You’re sending hella mixed signals.”

Ten exhales against Jaehyun’s nape, biting back a smile, and pushes up on his knees so he’s no longer seated on Jaehyun. Hormones are a dangerous thing. “Sorry,” He starts. “I just-”

“I can’t help myself either.” Jaehyun interjects, before pulling Ten down, meeting his lips again and again.

Needless to say, they’re a bit late for class, but they do make it in time for the bulk of the lecture. Jaehyun shoots Ten a glance ever so often, and Ten steadily ignores him while doodling on a piece of paper.

When the lecture is over, Ten presents a pretty well drawn portrait of the professor, and a bunch of other crude doodles around it.

“Not bad.” Jaehyun says.

“Watch out, I’m going to be the next Michelangelo.” Ten grins. Jaehyun feels his heart flutter as he shares a lopsided smile of his own.

They grab a quick bite at a local deli restaurant, smoked meat sandwiches for both, before going back to Jaehyun’s apartment, chatting about the lecture when they bump into Jaehyun’s roommate in the hall.

“Hey!” Bin waves enthusiastically just as Dongmin also leaves the apartment, and stills when he sees Jaehyun.

Jaehyun smirks. “Hey guys.”

Ten looks curiously between the three.

“This is Ten. Ten, friend from high school, Dongmin, and roommate, Bin.” He introduces.

Niceties are exchanged before Bin asks what they’re up to.

“We’re probably going to finish watching a movie before I head off to work. You?”

“Oh we’re going to class-”  
“Going to the mall-”

They glance at each other in surprise, then Bin laughs loudly with a gigantic blush on his face. “We’re doing both of those things.” He says, and Dongmin nods enthusiastically beside him.

“Alright, won’t hold you up then. See ya later.” Jaehyun says with a knowing smirk. Bin grins shyly in return and Dongmin rolls his eyes before saying bye to Ten as well.

A minute later, just as Jaehyun puts away his bag, he gets a text from Bin.

 **bin  
**You’re dating a fucken square enix character???

 **jaehyun**  
…  
Need I remind you the first time you saw Dongmin  
You asked which anime he stepped out of  
To his face

 **bin**  
O shut up  
R u ever gonna let that go??

 **jaehyun**  
Obviously first impressions don’t matter  
Dongmin has always been too nice

 

There’s a long pause in which Jaehyun is imagining Bin getting all flustered and typing aggressively into his phone. Dongmin probably asked him what it was all about.

 

 **bin  
**I’m so telling the guys

 

Jaehyun looks at Ten, who has quietly, naturally, changed into the sweatpants and tee and is currently sitting on his bed and reading something on his phone with a small frown.

 

 **jaehyun  
**Two can play the game

 **bin  
**>: @

Jaehyun chuckles and puts his phone away. He doesn’t want to work Bin up only to have Dongmin placate the younger man after. He likes Dongmin too much to do that to him.

“What’s so funny?” Ten asks.

“Just talking to a friend.” Jaehyun responds, amused. “What are you reading?”

Ten hesitates, eyes looking off to the side. “A work email…”

Jaehyun frowns. “Do I need to take your phone away before you understand the meaning of a day off?” He moves closer to Ten and extends his hand in a silent question. Ten hands his phone over with a small twitch of eye.

“This is weirdly domestic. I don’t know why I agreed to this.” He mutters.

Jaehyun snorts. “It’s your day off. Stop thinking too hard about this. Also, domestic is not a bad thing.” He reasons, before taking off and hanging up his jacket.

There’s a short pause, before Jaehyun realizes the question hanging in the air.  _What should they do, then?_

“Did you want to finish the movie?” He asks.

Ten replies sheepishly. “Only if we skip the dramatic parts. I think I might fall asleep again otherwise.”

“I’d be okay with that.” Jaehyun says, amused.

“I’m not going to spend my day off sleeping.” Ten says.

“Then?”

The air changes, as Ten looks at Jaehyun momentarily, before looking away. Ah. Jaehyun smirks. He approaches as Ten meets him halfway, kneeling on the bed.

“You really like me, don’t you?” He says smugly, a breath away from Ten’s lips.

“Don’t let it get to your head.” Ten grumbles, before reaching up to guide Jaehyun’s lips down to his.

“You make it so easy.” Jaehyun says softly against Ten’s lips.

“Hm?”

Jaehyun responds by placing a soft kiss on pliant lips, tongue dancing with tongue languidly, and presses a hand into Ten’s back as they both tip over, paying careful attention to Ten’s bundled arm. Ten makes a sound of surprise when he falls, eyes widening only to see Jaehyun’s half-lidded heated gaze, and shivers involuntarily.

Jaehyun’s weight on Ten is warm and protective, so much that his heart pounds erratically and he squeezes his eyes shut. All he can feel is Jaehyun’s body on him, his scent around him, and all the other senses melting into nothing. One kiss becomes two becomes three, and a soliloquy later, Jaehyun brushes his hand up Ten’s side, toying with the edge of his sweatpants in a silent question.

Ten presses a hand above Jaehyun’s chest weakly, catching his breath as their gazes meet. He can feel Jaehyun’s heart racing above his palm, and blushes even harder.

“You’ve never done this before, have you?” Jaehyun breathes, shock in his eyes.

Ten looks away. His silence a confirmation, and Jaehyun growls somewhere deep in his throat a low sound of want.

“Do you trust me?” Jaehyun’s voice rumbles, dark and heedy. Ten meets his eyes for a long pause, then he bites his lip and nods, not trusting his voice. But Jaehyun won’t settle for that.

“How?” Jaehyun mutters against the sensitive skin on his neck, thumb tracing distracting circles on the fabric by his hip, which Ten thinks is really unfair that he expects Ten to formulate a coherent sentence.

“As you want.” He says with a hint of impatience and reproach. He glares at Jaehyun’s playful, lazy smirk.

“Really now.” He growls, placing wet, open kisses on Ten’s neck, nipping and licking at the skin relentlessly on one side, before moving to the other.

“You’re so much more than I imagined…” He bends down and captures Ten’s lips once more before he can object his claim. “I can kiss you all day.”

Ten scoffs, despite being in the position he’s in and practically immobile. “Sure hope kissing isn’t all we’re going to be doing.” He snipes.

Jaehyun chuckles and leans back, and Ten feels the cool air against his skin all at once and shivers again. “You’re injured right now, so I’m trying to be the gentleman and let you off easy. But you’re making it extremely difficult...” He says. Before Ten realizes what happens, Jaehyun places his legs on either side of his hips and grinds down. His back arches, the motion sends waves of delicious shock through his body to the curl of his toes.

“Fu-uck...”

“Maybe I should teach you a lesson,” is all the warning he gets before the shirt rolls up just under his chin, then one hand pushes Ten’s arm above his head and holds it there, while the other tugs his shirt higher to reveal more delicious skin. Immediately, Jaehyun is biting and sucking on the exposed skin while his hands work to pull the sweatpants and boxers off in one fluid motion.

“W-wait-”

“Nope.” Jaehyun hums, a smirk grazing his lips. There’s a sharp pain when Jaehyun’s teeth graze at his collarbone, and Ten is lost to the sensations again. Jaehyun’s mouth is a force of nature, its slightly cooler touch contrasting Ten’s heated skin, intent on licking heated lines on his body before reaching between his legs. “Fuck, Jae…”

“I-,” Jaehyun presses down with a sound of impatience, and before he knows it, a wet heat surrounds him and his eyes squeeze shut. “Jae, I can’t-”

 _Handle it_ , he wants to say. But the sounds die in his mouth as Jaehyun takes his knees and pulls them apart easily, giving him better access to what he wants. His tongue brushes against the tight bundle of nerves at the tip, licking in circular motions before flattening against the base and _sucking just like that_ , leaving Ten a breathless, crying mess.

His hip twitches as he thrashes about, then Jaehyun’s hands  _hold him down_ as he continues the motions, bobbing up and down the length of Ten’s cock, paying special attention to the sounds he makes, his breathing and groans as he licks and nips at the soft skin and spongy tip. “You can’t- I can’t- move please let me-”

Every atom in his body is shaking as his nerves build up in release. His breath is coming in short now, abdomen tightening, eyes screwed shut, an arm covering his face. “Jae, I’m close, please, if you don’t stop-”

Then all of a sudden, everything is gone.

An arm of strong muscles pulls him to his knees and maneuvers him into a kneeling in the position that he’s so familiar with, kneeling by the edge of the bed and waiting… with Jaehyun behind him.

“You make such a pretty picture.” He feels the brush of words on his shoulder, and his entire body shudders aggressively. He can’t even speak. The memories of  _then_ and  _now_ melt into one, only that it's physically happening now, and it’s a hundred times more agonizing. Ten’s thighs are shaking before Jaehyun even touches him.

“Do you think you can rest on your other shoulder?” Jaehyun asks, voice low and rough.

Ten nods with a thick swallow, the tremors through his body a constant reminder of how close he was- he lowers himself as Jaehyun moves a few pillows underneath, making sure the angle doesn’t put too much pressure on his shoulder.

Jaehyun steps away for a moment, and Ten hears a drawer opening and closing, before he comes back once more and feels a warm hand rubbing deep circles on his hip, lessening the tension there. A finger presses against the sensitive ring of muscles and Ten lets out a muffled moan against the pillow. “Breathe,” Jaehyun directs behind him. And he slowly relaxes and pushes against the digit, as it enters him inch by slow, sweet inch, stretching him fully.

It’s slow work, but soon, Jaehuyn has two digits in, making scissor-cross motions, before adding a third. His other hand reaches around to jerk at Ten’s dick, whose tip is leaking copiously at this point. Beads of sweat form on their skin, and Jaehyun leans forward and collects them in his mouth, pressing open kisses in distraction of the foreign sensations.

Ten becomes impatient when the tremors grow almost painfully, his cock sensitive and Jaehyun pulls out his fingers, cleans it quickly, and slips on a condom. Ten knows it’s coming, but the sensation still leaves him in shock as Jaehyun presses his length against his anus. “Relax,” Jaehyun mumbles on his skin as he pushes in, readjusts his angle, waits, then pushes a bit further.

Ten is biting his bottom lip and clenching his jaw as he adjusts to the girth as much as he can, and when his hips wiggle slightly, Jaehyun takes it as a sign to move. At first slowly, shallowly, letting Ten get used to the sensations, before pushing deeper, thrusting faster. At some point, Ten readjusts his position as Jaehyun pushes in, and his mouth opens in a silent scream. Jaehyun notices immediately and stills.

“Ten?”

The groan comes belatedly and Ten squeezes his eyes shut. His hips are moving on their own now, rolling back and forth, an erratic rhythm that’s driving Jaehyun mad with need. In a dozen more strokes, Jaehyun growls against the back of Ten’s neck and tips them to the side onto the pillows.

Ten flops onto his back and grunts softly in pain, and Jaehyun quickly readjusts the pillows underneath before he resumes the position and lifts one leg above his shoulder, then thrusts hard and deep inside him. In this angle, Jaehyun’s hips snap faster in and out, his hand tugs and rotates on Ten’s dick and tip, and Ten feels the familiar sensation again, building up from his abdomen, tensing and sensitive and altogether too much.

“Jae-” He whispers, an arm reaching up. Jaehyun moves them to the centre of the mattress, not breaking contact, and lifts both of Ten’s legs to his shoulders, bent double, and he reaches even deeper than before, hitting at Ten’s prostate with every thrust. “Fuck- I can’t- Please Jae- I’m going to-”

Then Ten’s vision blurs as white hot pleasure spikes through every cell of his body, coming so hard that he forgets to speak, forgets to breathe, letting pulse after pulse of aftershock shake him to his core. He’s tightened around Jaehyun so painfully that Jaehyun has to stop thrusting, letting the sensation ride out before he follows, spurting into the latex with sharp, short jabs.

For a moment, neither move as they catch their breath, the air hot and sticky around them. Then Jaehyun rolls to his side as he gently pulls out, disposing the condom, and brings back a warm, wet towel to clean Ten who, for the most part, wonders if he still has legs. The towel hits the bottom of the hamper without so much as a look, and Jaehyun climbs back into bed with Ten, wrapping an arm around the smaller form and pulling him close. When he stretches up to see if Ten has flatlined, he lets out a bark of laughter.

Ten’s eyes are hazy, drunk from complete sexual satisfaction.

“That’s a look I can get used to.” Jaehyun mumbles into warm, sated skin with too much smug that Ten growls and twists out of his arms, only to be pulled in again. “Where are you going?”

“Away.” Ten mutters, but even without their legs tangled and a strong arm wrapped securely around his middle pressing him against the hot line of muscle behind him, he really doesn’t have much energy left to lift a finger, much less saunter out of the apartment.

“Stay.” He breathes, drawing circles on the skin over Ten’s heart.

Ten hums and closes his eyes, drifting in another slumber.

-

 **dongmin**  
jaehyun is dating NOCTIS  
Please ignore that it was a slip of fingers

 **bambam  
**who’s that, got a pic?

 **jungkook  
**#letmegooglethatforyou

 **bambam**  
nvm googled it  
wow JK, wow

 **mingyu  
**what? where’s the proof?

 **dongmin**  
Guys, please ignore that  
My friend hijacked my phone and started typing weird things  
Don’t mind him  
no omfg its real, a real life noct exists  
and he’s getting boned by jaehyun

 **minghao**  
So this totally does not sound like dongmin’s having a psychotic breakdown...  
It’s the asian parental upbringing isn't it  
I can relate too bro, I can relate

 **dongmin**  
istfg there’s a real life square fucken enix character roaming around the campus  
and he’s totally getting boned  
by jae

 **yugyeom  
**i think i kno who ur talking about… he dances, right?

 **dongmin**  
no? dancing? whut???  
i’m not talking about dancers  
well maybe  
his name is Ten  
is that who u had in mind???

 **minghao  
**omg

 **mingyu  
**omg

 **yugyeom  
**omfgwtf

 **mingyu**  
damn ice prince got bonedddddd  
dddddddddddddddddddd  
by the d  
ick  
of jae  
lol :D

 **bambam**  
WHAT  
dongmin dis is srs where did u see them

 **dongmin  
**jus outside of jae’s apartment

 **minghao**  
Well, he’s always been bendy  
Though i got serious asex whiffs from him  
Who woulda thought

 **seokmin**  
I feel like  
Unless we see real proof  
This just sounds like Dongmin has gone off the deep end  
(No offense, bro)

 **dongmin**  
(None taken)  
OMG guys please ignore this  
Please  
Jaehyun will kill me

 **jaehyun**  
Not you specifically, but maybe Bin  
Say your goodbyes while you can  
Yes I’m seeing someone  
Wait  
How do you guys know him?

 **bambam  
**<wants to share tytycherrybomb.gif with you>

 **mingyu  
**<wants to share tiwaibodyrollrookies.gif with you>

 **minghao  
**<wants to share bubblepopTen.gif with you>

 **jungkook  
**<wants to share babydontstop.gif with you>

 **bambam  
**Yeeesh he hawt

 **yugyeom  
**excuseme

 **jaehyun  
**back the f up BB

 **bambam**  
in a fucken art-appreciation way GOD jae  
he’s one of the golden pillars in the city’s dance scene  
practically EVEryoNE who dances knows him  
how do u not kno dis???????

 **jaehyun  
**...

 **yugyeom  
**o

 **sicheng  
**...

 **seokmin  
**omg

 **minghao  
**Oh no

-

Minghao leaves for Seokmin’s apartment for damage control.

-

BamBam knocks on the door across the hall and demands Yugyeom to tone down the possessiveness please and thank you.

-

Jaehyun looks up at Ten in wide-eyed wonder.

It still hasn’t been 24 hours since they’ve first met in person, and Ten is limping.

“I swear I really didn’t mean to. I- we just got carried away...” Jaehyun raises his arms in surrender, actually genuine this time around.

If looks could kill, Jaehyun would be a pile of singed dust.

Ten shifts his weight to the other leg and bites down a groan. “I’m okay.” He says with difficulty. He’s collecting his things and getting ready to go home.

“I’ll drive you home, okay?” Jaehyun offers.

“Don’t coddle me. I said I’m okay.” Ten growls.

“Then... do you mind driving me to work?”

_If looks could kill._

“Ahaha, just kidding?”

Ten ignores the question completely. “It’s just a dull pain. I’ve had worse from dance. It’ll pass.” He says with forced lightness. “I’ll drive you to work, since you leaving your car there was technically because of me.”

“I didn’t mean for this to be some kind of guilt-tripping…”

“I know, but I still feel bad.” Ten worries his lip, before glancing at his phone. “You start work at 7, right? We should go soon.”

Jaehyun pauses by the door. Ten tilts his head in question. A breath later, Jaehyun walks to Ten, fingers already reaching to tip his chin upwards, tilting his head and tasting Ten deeply, a taste Jaehyun’s quickly becoming addicted to, like everything else about Ten.

“Can you not leave?” He asks against soft lips. Ten looks up at him, before ducking his head, trying and failing to fight down a blush.

“We’ll see each other around.” He says vaguely, shuffling on his feet.

“But what if I want to see you after work tonight?” Jaehyun asks with a soft inquisitive look, a hand already reaching to hold Ten’s hand in a warm grip. Ten clears his throat awkwardly.

“Then… I can give you my address?” He says.

Jaehyun’s face breaks into a grin. “I’d like that.”

“I’ll text it to you… later. Wait- when does work end again?”

“Before midnight? Earlier now that I don’t get calls at 11 that demand me to talk for an hour.” Jaehyun teases with a cheeky smile. Ten rolls his eyes.

“I’m not saying I’m jealous, because I’m not, but I really don’t like what you do now.” Ten admits quietly.

The cheeky smile widens. “All of a sudden?”

Ten coughs. “...Yes.”

“You’re so cute. Don’t worry, I’m a one-track-minded kinda guy. Just think of me as an actor.” says Jaehyun in an attempt for reassurance. Ten rolls his eyes.

“Easy for you to say.” He says with a huff. “Bet you’d be equally averse to the idea if our roles were reversed.”

“Please. With the amount of fans who routinely throw themselves at your feet from dance, I feel like I should be more concerned.” says Jaehyun. Though his tone is light and teasing, there’s something in his eyes that makes Ten frown.

“I’ve said this before, there are no fans-” He starts.

“My friends are a part of dance crews- they’ve literally sent a wall of gifs- made by fans- to prove your popularity. I feel like I’ve been living under a rock this whole time.” Jaehyun chuckles, self-depreciative and insecure. Ten takes two steps and tugs at Jaehyun’s shirt, leaning on his toes to press an aggressive kiss, with feeling, on Jaehyun’s lips.

“Don’t. I’ve never noticed them, and I’m not about to start. I only have eyes for you.” He says, eyes burning with an intensity that makes Jaehyun blush a dusty pink.

“O-okay.”

“We’ll deal with it. But I’m not- I like you too much for something so impermanent to get in the way.” Ten says heatedly. Then his eyes widen when he realizes what he just admitted out loud, and his jaws snap shut, eyes downcast, face and neck a crimson red.

“Wow.” Jaehyun says breathlessly. He reaches to tuck Ten in his arms again, leaning back against the wall for support. “It hasn’t even been 24 hours.”

“I know. This is moving so fast.” Ten mutters.

Jaehyun squeezes his hand, and when their eyes meet, flashes a small smile at Ten, who returns it with his own quirk of lips.

“We’re okay?”

“I think. Yeah.”

Jaehyun nods, eyes crinkling. “Let’s go then.”

They approach the elevators when Ten teases, “You might have to carry me dow- Oh my god Jaehyun put me the fuck down this instant-”

In a swoop of movement, Ten finds himself in the arms of Jaehyun, bridal fucking style, and the other chirps happily, “Don’t say what you don’t mean!”

Too afraid to move, but mostly just sore, Ten resorts to complaining loudly. “I swear to god-”

-

When Ten unlocks the door to his apartment, he sees Johnny and Taeyong playing Metal Gear Solid  on the TV in the living room and waves an awkward hello at the two. Taeyong’s too engaged with the game, but Johnny is technically only watching, so he takes the moment to greet the other man by the door.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

There’s an awkward silence.

“Johnny?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry about my behaviour yesterday. It was uncalled for, I shouldn’t have acted that way.” Ten apologizes, studying Johnny’s face, who brightens into a lazy grin.

“It’s okay.” He pauses, looking at Ten, before smirking. “Returned the phone?”

“Yeah. Back to the owner.” Ten says uselessly, shifting from foot to foot.

Johnny chuckles, nodding his head. “Cool. Wanna come watch us play?”

Ten looks Taeyong staring intently at the graphics on the screen, stealthing around the map, and nods. “Sure, I’ll go change first though.” He says.

Johnny narrows his eyes, then exclaims loudly: “Wait- aren’t those the clothes you wore yesterday?”

_Shit, since when did Johnny get so perceptive?_

Ten scratches the back of his head awkwardly. “Um. Yes?”

“But didn’t you go to see- oh.  _Oh._ ”

His shit-eating grin cannot get any wider, and Ten rolls his eyes.

“Okay. Well. Might want to start using BB cream on your neck.” He says, pointing to a spot on his own neck. Ten’s eyes widen and his hand instinctively reaches up to cover-

“Congrats on dislodging the icy stick up your ass, Ten.” Taeyong’s voice travels over the game’s music.

Ten scowls. “I hope you fail the mission, Taeyong.”

“Not even close, Ten.” Taeyong turns and smiles cheekily at Ten, before hitting resume on the controller.

-

 **sicheng  
**I hope you used protection.

 **jaehyun  
**… yes, I did

 **sicheng**  
Good.  
We will not speak of this anymore.

 **jaehyun**  
good  
...

-

 **idiot sis**  
I know it wasn’t Johnny  
I also bought you a whole day free of work  
Details. Now.

 **dumbass bro  
**I owe you nothing

 **idiot sis**  
Omg wtf don’t you dare withhold information from your own sister  
Did you at least climb the tree  
?  
Ten?  
TEN

[Temporarily block number?]  
[ Yes [X] ]   [ No [ ] ]

-

 **yutangclan  
**so a little birdie told me...

 

[Temporarily block number?]  
[ Yes [X] ]   [ No [ ] ]

-

 **hansol**  
Please make him stop complaining to me about you  
He’s driving me insane

 **Ten**  
That implies that you were sane to begin with  
I’ll deal with it before/after class tomorrow

 **hansol**  
OK  
Just not in front of the kids

 **Ten**  
…  
OK

-

When Ten pulls into his parents’ house’s driveway, he doesn’t expect to see a familiar car parked outside, and a sudden dread washes over his features.

Hoping that he’s wrong, that it’s just someone else with the same car, same colour, he opens the door and is greeted by Micah, alone in the hallway, meowing loudly at him.

“You silly cat.” He reaches down and picks up the big ball of fur with his arms- his cast was removed a few days ago, and because of how small and weak one looked compared to the other, Ten’s been looking to lift all kinds of things with his left arm.

“Hi.” Says a familiar voice.

Ten doesn’t look up to see who it is. “Hello, Jaehyun.”

“He was here for a quick check up when I invited him to stay for dinner. Since I’m cooking up a storm anyway, I might as well invite more people to eat, right?” Chirps the bubbly voice of his mother, and he frowns, finally meeting the eyes of the two humans in his vicinity. At least Jaehyun had the decency to look abashed.

“It’s okay, right?” His mother asks him.

“Sure, mom.” Ten says, eyes narrowing at Jaehyun like,  _We will talk later_.

Jaehyun blanches, which is a feat considering how pale he already is, and Ten rolls his eyes.

He turns his attention to his mother and asks, “Do you need help with dinner?”

“Oh no, it’s just grilling away in the oven. Don’t worry, go and do what young people do! I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”

“Thank you Mrs. Lee.” Jaehyun smiles gratefully, even giving a small bow. Ten’s eye twitches.

“... Thanks mom.”

Micah is struggling out of Ten’s hold, so he lets the chubby tabby go and meets Jaehyun’s eyes.

“I guess… I can show you my room?” He suggests.

Jaehyun shrugs, nodding.

So they make their way up the stairs to the door with a cute Totoro sign and the name “Ten” scrawled in wood hanging in the middle. As Ten looks around, he notices that everything is mostly untouched, save for the cleaning sessions from time to time. There’s a desk by the window, a bed by the door, a dresser by another dresser, and a wall of achievements, from swimming to math to dancing. Jaehyun stares at everything in wonder as Ten plops onto the mattress with a quiet groan, then Jaehyun turns to him and chuckles quietly.

“She’s onto us, isn’t she?” He says, like this isn’t even a question worth asking. So Ten doesn’t give an answer apart from a soft snort. Jaehyun grins now, shaking his head like amazed by the turn of events.

“I don’t know how the news travelled this fast, but she probably knows something, it’s probably Sooyeon.” Ten supplies. “Can’t believe the amount of gossip mill we’re surrounded by. I thought I was safe.” He complains.

Jaehyun quirks his lips to a side, and sits beside Ten, pressing a line of warm body against his.

“How’ve you been?” He asks.

Ten rolls his eyes- he seems to be doing that a lot more lately. Probably from how exasperated he is with everyone around him. “I saw you yesterday.” He reminds the other.

“I know. Just. You know. I missed you.”

Ten coughs, hiding the blush behind his fist. “Missed you too.” He admits quietly. A big grin stretches across Jaehyun’s face.

“How long do you think it’ll be until dinner? I’m actually starved.” He says, smiling sheepishly while petting his belly.

Ten looks at his stomach and is reminded of the muscles he closely examined a day ago, then catches the way Jaehyun looks at him and quickly turns his head to the wall.

“... stop looking at me like I’m a full course meal.” He grumbles.

Jaehyun smirks. “Well, you  _can_ be the dessert…” He nudges Ten, bending closer to lick on the shell of his ear.

Jaehyun places soft butterfly kisses on Ten’s temple until Ten tilts his head away, and Jaehyun maneuvers his body closer and places a quick kiss on his nose...

“At least close the door, boys.” echoes Sooyeon’s voice from the hallway. “Dinner’s ready in five!”

Ten groans into Jaehyun’s shoulder as her loud cackling disappears down the stairs, wondering why. Just why. Jaehyun chuckles, embarrassedly, but he doesn’t hesitate to link their fingers together and squeezing lightly.

“You good?”

Ten takes a moment, inhales deeply, and catches Jaehyun’s scent.

“Yeah.” He smiles. “You?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Let’s go?”

“Okay.”

 


End file.
